The presidential flagbearer of the People’s Redemption Party (PRP) for the 2027 general election, Donald Duke, has attributed Nigeria’s escalating national security crisis and continued economic stagnation to decades of failed leadership, warning that the country stands on the precipice of a severe social breakdown without immediate policy intervention.
Speaking to media executives during an interactive session in Lagos on Wednesday, August 12, the former Cross River State governor noted that Nigeria’s macroeconomic expansion has drastically lagged behind its rapid demographic growth.
He maintained that widespread banditry, insurgency, and kidnapping are direct manifestations of deep-rooted economic deprivation rather than isolated criminal acts.
“The direction the country is going requires very urgent intervention,” Duke stated. “Another four years, if we don’t change the trajectory, I see disasters where it is already looming. It will deepen further.”
The armed forces alone cannot end systemic unrest. Tackling insecurity requires economic empowerment, expanded credit facilities, and job creation to offer productive alternatives to crime.
Drawing on his gubernatorial tenure during which he launched the Calabar Carnival and built the Obudu Mountain Resort into an international hub, Duke urged sub-national governments to capitalize on their unique resource bases instead of relying on federal revenue allocations.
He called on rival political groups to put aside factional interests and forge a unified, credible coalition capable of executing structural reforms ahead of the 2027 polls.
Duke’s policy declarations follow his victory in the PRP primary held on May 25, 2026. During the official presentation of candidate certificates at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja, PRP National Chairman Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed described Duke as a candidate with the broad national appeal, political experience, and vision required to foster national unity and economic revival.
However, the validity of his nomination remains before the judiciary. At the Federal High Court in Abuja, Justice Mohammed Umar is presiding over suit FHC/ABJ/CS/1234/2026, brought by aggrieved presidential aspirant Yakubu Muhammed Kingsley.
Represented by counsel D.A. Sulyman, the plaintiff claims Duke was ineligible to contest the primary due to non-compliance with statutory membership registration deadlines and screening procedures, alongside alleged delegate vote irregularities.
Undeterred by the pending court challenge, Duke reiterated that the upcoming presidential campaign must focus on substantive policy debate, agricultural modernization, infrastructure expansion, and institutional stability to restore investor confidence and public trust.
