Donald Duke Says He Can Give Nigerians Hope as He Eyes Presidency

(Donald Duke. Photo Credit: Guardian Nigeria News)

Donald Duke, the Peoples Redemption Party presidential candidate, says he is running for president to tackle Nigeria's problems and give people hope for a better life.

Speaking in Abuja, he said Nigeria has had poor leadership since democracy returned in 1979.

He pointed out that while past leaders came with political ideas, none brought real vision for the country's growth.

Duke, a former Cross River governor, said the system has been broken because leaders didn't know what they wanted to achieve.

Without a clear plan, governments keep letting Nigerians down.

Duke believes the opposition could beat the current government if they united behind one candidate instead of competing against each other.

He said the ruling APC would struggle to win next year's election if the opposition presented a single, strong challenge.

Even with governors in over 30 states, the APC could lose if opponents worked together.

On fuel subsidies, Duke said Nigeria was wrong to remove them.

The country shouldn't use what it has to hurt its people by making them pay international prices for fuel.

He also wants state police to fight crime driven by poverty, which he said should have started long ago.

On student loans, Duke said they're a good idea only if the government creates jobs so graduates can repay them.

He said government spending doesn't match what it brings in and that Nigeria needs better policies to create wealth for poor people.

Meanwhile, Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress promised that if he wins, he will make sure local government councils get their money directly from the national budget immediately.

A court ruled in 2024 that local governments should get their funds straight from the federation account, but many still can't access them.

Atiku said the Tinubu government has refused to enforce the court order, leaving local councils without money.

He accused governors of blocking the ruling to keep control of those funds and said the government is allowing this to reward governors who back Tinubu's re-election.

Atiku said his government will respect court judgments, give local governments their independence and let money reach the people it's meant for.

He said this will bring development to communities, cut poverty and let local councils fight crime better.