Peoples Redemption Party presidential candidate Donald Duke has warned that Nigeria is already showing signs of a failed state, citing insecurity, poverty, unemployment and a shrinking middle class as reasons for contesting the 2027 election.
Speaking in an interview on Tuesday, the former Cross River State governor said he could no longer watch the country’s challenges worsen without taking action.
“You get to a point in your life where you say, ‘Either I walk away, or I do something.’
“There is no guarantee that you will win. But I don’t want to look back and say that all these things happened and I did nothing,” he said.
“I talk about the urgency of now because I don’t think we can go on like this for another four years,” he added.
Duke cited banditry, terrorism and kidnapping as signs of worsening insecurity.
“If we don’t address these issues squarely and fundamentally, we’re already a failed state. There’s no question about it,” he said.
He also lamented the disappearance of the middle class, saying businesses were contracting while new ones were not emerging fast enough to create jobs for the growing number of graduates.
“Businesses are contracting. New ones are not springing up the way they should. At the same time, we are turning out graduates every year and adding more people to the working population, but there is no work for them to do,” he stated.
Duke argued that tackling poverty and unemployment was essential to addressing insecurity, adding that governance should prevent crises rather than merely react to them.
He said his ambition was driven by his belief in Nigeria’s potential.
“I believe in this country’s possibilities, and this is where I believe I should contribute,” he said.
AbdulBasit Saba is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, business, and public affairs.
