Former Cross River State Governor and Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) presidential candidate, Donald Duke, has warned that opposition parties may not be able to unseat President Bola Tinubu in 2027 unless they put aside their differences and form a formidable coalition.
Duke described Tinubu as a seasoned and formidable politician, urging those seeking to challenge the President to take seriously the advantage that comes with incumbency.
He spoke in an interview published by Symfoni, a podcast, on its YouTube channel on Friday.
According to the former governor, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) would retain a significant electoral advantage simply because it controls the federal government and key state institutions.
He said opposition politicians should not underestimate the influence of incumbency when planning for the 2027 presidential election.
“Even if the APC did nothing, right? They’re the party in power. If there’s a problem on that day, the IG of police will not go to any of the contestants. He’ll go to the president.
“So everything is skewed in favour of incumbent. Respect that,” Duke said.
He argued that the opposition's best chance of mounting an effective challenge would be to establish a broad-based alliance capable of pooling its political strength.
“The only way you can seriously charge tackling incumbent is to come together to tackle and to have the force.
“Otherwise, you’ll be factionalised. So, I think when you talk of rigging, we’re rigging it against ourselves because of our ego. We need to come together,” he said.
Duke warned that the opposition could undermine its own chances if politicians allow individual ambitions and disagreements to prevent them from working together.
He particularly cautioned against treating Tinubu as an ordinary political opponent, describing the President as a politician with considerable experience and political capacity.
“Bola Tinubu is not an average politician. You don’t go to fight a lion who also has horns,” he said.
Explaining his analogy, Duke said opposition politicians would be putting themselves at a disadvantage if they confronted such an opponent without the necessary political machinery and strategy.
“Can you imagine a lion with a horn? Yes, right? It’s already a dangerous animal.
“Then you now give it a horn and you say go and fight it with knife and fork. You’ll be the dinner. So, let’s get real,” he added.
Duke's remarks come against the backdrop of ongoing efforts by opposition parties and politicians to explore possible alliances ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Several opposition figures have advocated the formation of a coalition capable of challenging the APC, while negotiations over possible alignments continue among political groups.
For Duke, however, such efforts will only succeed if the opposition can overcome personal ambitions and agree on a common political direction.
As a presidential candidate of the PRP, Duke is himself among the opposition politicians seeking to challenge Tinubu at the 2027 election.
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