Former Cross River State Governor and Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) presidential candidate, Donald Duke, has criticised opposition political parties supporting President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid, comparing their actions to the political arrangements under former military ruler Sani Abacha.
Duke made the remarks during an interview on ARISE News on Thursday, where he expressed concern over opposition parties aligning themselves with the ruling government ahead of the next presidential election.
Recalling Nigeria’s political history in the 1990s, Duke referred to the controversial expression “five leprous fingers”, used by the late former Oyo State Governor, Bola Ige, to describe the five political parties established under Abacha’s transition programme.
According to Duke, the current political situation bears similarities to that period, although he suggested that one of the parties in the present arrangement had dropped out.
The five parties under Abacha were the United Nigeria Congress Party, National Centre Party of Nigeria, Grassroots Democratic Movement, Democratic Party of Nigeria and Committee for National Consensus.
In 1998, the parties adopted Abacha as their sole presidential candidate amid widespread criticism that the transition programme was designed to keep him in power. However, Abacha died in June that year before the plan could be completed.
Duke’s comments come as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the All Progressives Congress (APC) seeking support from political figures outside its ranks.
APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, recently confirmed that the ruling party had approached several opposition figures, including Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike, Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke and Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo.
Adeleke, who belongs to the Accord Party, and Soludo, a member of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), have declared support for Tinubu’s re-election. Wike, who remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has also pledged to support the President in Rivers State and the FCT.
The endorsements have generated renewed debate over opposition unity and the prospects of a coordinated challenge to Tinubu in 2027.
In the 2023 presidential election, opposition figures, including former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, contested separately against Tinubu, who won on the APC platform.
With the next election approaching, calls for opposition parties to unite around a common strategy have continued, as political alignments reshape the contest for 2027.
