Former Governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke, has stated that President Bola Tinubu no longer enjoys the same level of popularity he had leading up to the 2023 elections.
Duke, the presidential candidate of the People’s Redemption Party (PRP), said the economic hardships Nigerians are facing under Tinubu’s government have left many disillusioned with his leadership.
When asked on Monday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today about Tinubu’s current political strength, Duke argued that President Tinubu no longer has the same sympathy he had during the last election.
“I don’t think so, I think his governance has exposed the weakness of the contraption called. I don’t think he has the sympathies he had in 2023,” Duke said.
He said Nigerians are now struggling to survive due to the economic hardships caused by the government’s policies and programs.
Things have become harder for people; many are disillusioned by his style of governance, and hope has turned into despair. Yes, you talk about structures and all that, but I think on election day they will be fighting for their own survival,” he added.
Despite his statement that Tinubu’s political influence appears reduced ahead of the 2027 general elections, Naijapiz reports that Duke mentioned opposition parties might still lose to him if they don’t unite.
He warned that a divided opposition would struggle to defeat Tinubu at the polls, and that he might still emerge as a minority president if the opposition parties fail to collaborate.
He emphasized that opposition parties must find a way to unite and prevent a repeat of the 2023 elections.
“The reality is that things are bound to happen on that (election) day, how to mitigate those things should be the major concern of the opposition. I don’t like people who cry wolf after it has happened and all that. We have done this several times over, we should anticipate it, and united we stand if we do it, if we don’t, then we will only have ourselves to blame because it has repeated itself,” he stated.
Tinubu’s Weakness in Governance
Duke acknowledged that President Tinubu is a formidable politician but lamented that he is weak when it comes to governance.
"Give it to him, he is a formidable politician, my issue with him is governance not politics. He is weak on governance, from what we have seen over the last three years he is very weak on governance,” Duke said.
He warned that Tinubu must not be allowed to serve a second term, arguing that Nigeria is already heading in the wrong direction under his leadership, and that his re-election would only deepen poverty among Nigerians.
The PRP presidential candidate said he would establish a better governance structure than Tinubu’s if elected in 2027.
Will To Step Down
Duke also expressed willingness to step down from the 2027 presidential race in favor of any opposition candidate the parties agree on to challenge Tinubu.
“Absolutely. First of all, once we have commonality in objective, the next question is who is best suited for this? You need some voice of reason amongst the lot of them,”he responded when asked about his readiness to step aside for a consensus opposition candidate.
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