By News Maker
Donald Duke’s pledge at the G-100 summit was simple and blunt: “To win the election, the opposition will support any candidate that emerges.” For the PRP presidential candidate, the path to Aso Rock in 2027 is not about PRP, PDP or Labour Party, it is about sequencing unity before ambition.
The statement reframes the opposition debate. Instead of starting with “who”, Duke is starting with “how”. By promising to back whoever emerges, he is trying to remove ego from the equation and force other leaders to do the same.
Context matters. The summit, convened by G100 with the Minority Caucus, had six parties present: ADC, APM, NDC, PDP, PRP and SDP. But the absence of heavyweights like Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi hung over the room. Duke’s commitment is therefore both a challenge and an invitation to them.
The numbers justify the urgency. G100 facilitator Salihu Lukman reminded delegates that opposition parties pulled about 13 million votes in 2023 compared to the winner’s less than 9 million. “Nobody stole thirteen million votes. We divided them ourselves,” he said.
Duke and G100 are borrowing from 2015. The APC was not built on affection, but on sequence: agree on rules first, pick candidate later. That is the model for the proposed “Government of National Competence” and a single four-year transition term.
The mechanics are already being drawn. Three standing committees, Central Leadership, Publicity, and Legal, plus five working groups to produce papers on democratic renewal, transition, reform, unity and a roadmap for a common candidate within four weeks.
The risk is obvious. Asking leaders with presidential ambitions to sign a blank cheque requires concessions that Nigerian politics rarely produces. Without Atiku, Obi, Kwankwaso at the table, any “common candidate” risks lacking legitimacy.
But the reward is also clear. A united opposition under one platform, with one message and one candidate, directly addresses the APC’s biggest advantage: a divided opposition.
Duke’s position puts pressure back on the big parties. If PRP is willing to step aside for unity, what excuse do PDP or LP have? It shifts the moral burden of 2027 onto those who refuse to compromise.
Ultimately, Duke’s “back any candidate” pledge is less about Duke and more about testing whether the opposition has matured. If the G100 process holds and leaders accept outcomes that don’t favour them, 2027 could be competitive. If not, the 13 million votes will be divided again.
