The presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Donald Duke, has warned opposition politicians that they must bury their personal egos and ambitions if they are serious about defeating the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 presidential election.
Duke, a former governor of Cross River State, said the greatest challenge confronting the opposition was not necessarily the strength of the ruling party, but the inability of opposition politicians to set aside individual interests and work towards a common objective.
Speaking in an interview, he said politicians seeking to challenge the APC must be prepared to negotiate, compromise and build a coalition around a shared national vision.
According to him, opposition politicians cannot continue to pursue individual presidential ambitions while expecting to defeat an incumbent political structure with a nationwide network.
He said the opposition needed to understand that victory in 2027 would require collaboration rather than fragmentation.
Duke argued that Nigerians were looking for a credible alternative and that opposition politicians had a responsibility to provide one.
He said the political class must move beyond the question of who would occupy the presidency and first agree on what should be done to rescue the country from its economic and security challenges.
The PRP candidate said personal ambition had repeatedly undermined attempts to build effective political coalitions in Nigeria.
He warned that if opposition parties continued to approach the 2027 election as separate platforms for individual ambitions, they could divide the anti-APC vote and inadvertently strengthen the ruling party.
Duke said a serious opposition alliance must be built around ideas, competence and a commitment to national development.
