Former Cross River State Governor and presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Donald Duke, has declared that he is willing to step down from the 2027 presidential race if opposition parties agree on a consensus candidate capable of defeating President Bola Tinubu.
Duke made the disclosure during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today monitored by The News Chronicle, where he stressed the need for opposition parties and politicians to put aside their differences and unite behind a single candidate ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Asked by the programme’s anchor, Seun Okinbaloye, whether he would be willing to withdraw his presidential ambition in favour of another candidate, Duke responded in the affirmative.
“Absolutely,” he said, arguing that the priority should be identifying the candidate best positioned to achieve the opposition’s common objective.
According to him, once opposition forces agree on a common goal, the next question should be who is best suited to lead the coalition to victory.
Duke used a football analogy to explain his position, saying he wanted to be part of the process of building a formidable opposition team and providing what he described as “some voice of reason” among the various political interests.
The former governor also warned that President Tinubu could retain power in 2027 if the opposition remains fragmented.
“Absolutely, with the chequered opposition it won’t work; Tinubu might win,” Duke said.
He urged opposition politicians to prepare early for the election rather than wait until after the polls before raising allegations of electoral malpractice.
Duke said the opposition had repeatedly made the mistake of remaining divided until election day, stressing that unity was essential if they were serious about defeating the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The PRP presidential candidate was cleared by the party as its candidate for the 2027 election in June following a review of its presidential primary by the party’s Primaries Appeal Committee and subsequent approval by its National Working Committee.
