THE presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Donald Duke, has described President Bola Tinubu as a formidable political opponent, warning opposition politicians against attempting to unseat the incumbent without first building a united front ahead of the 2027 general election.
Duke, a former Cross River State governor, disclosed this in an interview shared by Symfoni, a podcast, on its YouTube channel on Friday.
News Point Nigeria reports that Duke warned that a fragmented opposition coalition would not be strong enough to defeat Tinubu in 2027, stressing that opposition parties must unite if they hope to mount a serious challenge against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Discussing the prospects of opposition parties challenging the APC in 2027, Duke said the advantage of incumbency should not be underestimated.
He argued that the ruling party’s control of government institutions gives an incumbent president a significant advantage during elections.
“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.
According to him, opposition parties must therefore come together if they hope to mount a serious challenge against Tinubu.
He stated: “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.”
Duke then used a colourful analogy to describe the challenge of taking on Tinubu, urging opposition politicians to recognise the President’s political strength.
“Bola Tinubu is not an average politician. You don’t go to fight a lion who also has horns,” he said.
Explaining the metaphor, Duke said confronting such an opponent without adequate preparation would leave the challenger vulnerable.
“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 said.
While this newspaper cannot, however, confirm the timing behind the interview, Duke’s comments come amid continuing efforts by opposition politicians and parties to explore possible alliances ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The former Cross River governor stressed that opposition fragmentation could work in favour of the incumbent, arguing that politicians would need to set aside personal ambitions and differences to create a formidable alternative.
Duke is the presidential candidate of the PRP for the 2027 election, putting him among the opposition politicians seeking to challenge the APC and Tinubu at the polls.
His comments also point to one of the central issues likely to shape the opposition’s strategy ahead of the election: whether rival parties and politicians can overcome individual ambitions and forge a common platform strong enough to challenge the incumbent.