2027: Donald Duke blames bad leadership for insecurity

Donald Duke, former governor of Cross River State and presidential candidate for the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), has directly blamed Nigeria's escalating insecurity and substantial ransom payments on what he describes as years of failed leadership. Speaking in Abuja at the presentation of certificates to PRP candidates for the 2027 general elections, Duke asserted that the nation has lost its direction, now steered by self-serving politicians who have exacerbated poverty and insecurity.

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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 N2tn was paid as ransom to kidnappers in 2025 alone, an amount equivalent to about 10 per cent of the entire federal budget.

Duke painted a grim picture of the security situation, alleging that criminal organizations have gained more power than the government in certain regions. He cited figures from the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics, indicating that approximately N2tn was paid as ransom to kidnappers in 2025 alone. This amount, he noted, represents about 10 percent of the entire federal budget, highlighting the immense financial drain caused by insecurity.

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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, and always will be, doing the right thing, not the expedient thing.

"Our land has become so desolate that bandits, gangsters and kidnappers collect taxes while the government collects excuses," Duke stated, emphasizing the government's perceived ineffectiveness. He attributed the crisis to leaders failing to act rightly and at the right time. Duke pledged to implement policies aimed at restoring security and enhancing the living standards of ordinary Nigerians, envisioning a Nigeria where farmers can work safely and children have access to decent education.

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We must strive for a Nigeria where farmers return safely from their fields and where every child has a desk and chair in a decent learning environment.

The PRP’s mission, according to Duke, is to empower common citizens rather than political elites. "The scavengers have had their turn. Now it is the turn of the common man, the true Nigerian: keke rider, okada, street hawker, market woman, farmer and the unemployed graduate. And I, Donald Duke, seek to be their champion," he declared, acknowledging that this

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The scavengers have had their turn. Now it is the turn of the common man, the true Nigerian: keke rider, okada, street hawker, market woman, farmer and the unemployed graduate. And I, Donald Duke, seek to be their champion.