2027: EX-GOVERNOR DONALD DUKE SAYS BAD LEADERSHIP FUELS INSECURITY
Read Time:2 Minute, 33 Second
By; Sunmola Ganiyat
Former Cross River State Governor and presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Donald Duke, on Wednesday blamed Nigeria’s worsening insecurity and the estimated N2 trillion reportedly paid to kidnappers in 2025 on years of poor leadership.
Duke made the remarks in Abuja during the presentation of certificates of return and party flags to the PRP’s presidential, governorship, and legislative candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections.
His comments came five days after the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Malick Fall, called for the release of schoolchildren and teachers abducted in recent attacks in Oyo and Borno States.
While accepting the party’s presidential ticket, Duke said Nigeria had lost direction and was now being run by self-serving politicians who had worsened poverty and insecurity across the country.
The former governor described the security situation as alarming, alleging that criminal groups in some areas now wield more influence than government authorities.
Citing figures attributed to the National Bureau of Statistics, Duke claimed that ransom payments to kidnappers had reached unprecedented levels.
He said, “Our land has become so desolate that bandits, gangsters and kidnappers collect taxes while the government collects excuses. As reflected in a report by the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics, approximately N2 trillion was paid as ransom to kidnappers in 2025 alone—an amount equivalent to about 10 per cent of the entire federal budget.
“All this is because our leaders have failed to do what is right when it was right and for whom it was right. At the end of the day, the best politics is doing the right thing, not the convenient thing. And anyone who does not know what is right has no business leading others.”
He promised that, if elected, he would pursue policies aimed at restoring security and improving living conditions for Nigerians.
“We must strive for a Nigeria where farmers return safely from their fields and where every child has access to a decent learning environment,” he added.
Duke said the PRP’s mission was to prioritise ordinary Nigerians over political elites.
“The scavengers have had their turn. Now it is the turn of the common man—the keke rider, okada rider, street hawker, market woman, farmer and unemployed graduate. I seek to be their champion,” he said.
He added that the struggle to reform Nigeria would be difficult but necessary, expressing confidence in the party’s vision to “redeem” the country.
Earlier, PRP National Chairman, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, described Duke as the party’s preferred candidate to lead Nigeria out of its current challenges.
He said the party’s candidates represented a commitment to selfless service and effective leadership, adding that they understood the consequences of poor governance.
Baba-Ahmed also criticised major political parties, saying they had failed to uphold internal democracy and fairness.
He expressed confidence that under Duke’s leadership, Nigeria would become safer, more prosperous, and better respected globally, while noting that the PRP’s broad slate of candidates reflected its democratic strength.
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