ABUJA — The National Working Committee of the Peoples Redemption Party officially ratified the clearance of the former Governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke, as its substantive presidential candidate for the upcoming 2027 general elections. The high-level decision, which marks a significant milestone in the country's shifting political landscape, follows the exhaustive conclusion of an internal administrative review of the party’s recently conducted primary elections across the federation.
The administrative green light was formally secured after the party's Primaries Appeal Committee finished a thorough evaluation of the internal petitions arising from the shadow polls. Following the submission of the judicial panel's comprehensive findings, the National Working Committee met in the federal capital to deliberate upon and subsequently adopt the recommendations contained within the appeal committee’s official report. This rigorous verification process effectively solidifies Duke's standing at the top of the political party's national ticket.
According to party insiders, the former governor clinched the coveted presidential ticket following a highly competitive internal process designed to test the viability of several high-profile aspirants. The legal and administrative review concluded by the national leadership confirmed that Duke successfully outmaneuvered several formidable institutional rivals during the primary cycle. Among the key contenders defeated in the race for the ticket were the prominent technocrat and economist Dr. Nnaoke Ufere, as well as the former African Action Congress presidential candidate, Yakubu Mohammed Kingsley.
The official announcement regarding the resolution of the primary contests was made public by the party's National Publicity Secretary, Muhammed Ishaq, during a press briefing held in Abuja. The national spokesperson confirmed that while the presidential ticket represented the crown jewel of the review process, the National Working Committee simultaneously upheld the outcomes of various other primary elections conducted across the country. These validated results encompass several highly contested races across the governorship, senatorial, House of Representatives, and State House of Assembly categories.
The party spokesperson noted that all other successfully nominated flag bearers across the various states of the federation have been fully cleared by the national secretariat to contest their respective positions in the 2027 general elections. The sole exception to this sweeping institutional endorsement occurred within the Tarauni Federal Constituency located in Kano State. In that specific locality, the National Working Committee took the decisive step to completely nullify the primary election due to irreconcilable procedural irregularities discovered during the appeal tribunal's investigations.
Based on the final data released by the national publicity secretary, the left-of-centre political organization is mathematically positioned to project immense organizational strength in the upcoming general elections. The party is on track to field a total of 420 candidates across all elective positions nationwide, presenting voters with an expansive alternative to the traditional dominant political formations. The comprehensive deployment of candidates across multiple legislative and executive tiers emphasizes the political association's structural evolution ahead of the national polls.
The official statement from the national secretariat emphasized that in strict compliance with their institutional dedication to active and robust participation in the democratic process, the leadership is proud to present a total of 420 candidates across all available tiers of governance in the 2027 general elections. The party leadership further reiterated its long-standing ideological commitment to the core principles of internal democracy, transparent party administration, and the ultimate pursuit of credible, transformative governance for the citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The successful nomination of the former Cross River State chief executive marks the newest chapter in his recurring national political ambitions, which span nearly two decades of modern democratic history. The charismatic administrator initially generated immense national political momentum ahead of the 2007 general elections when he launched an expansive campaign to succeed the outgoing administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo under the platform of the then-ruling People’s Democratic Party. However, that early bid was ultimately cut short due to intense internal party machinations and the enforcement of structural zoning policies, which forced him to step aside in favor of the eventual consensus winner, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.
Following a period of relative political realignment, the former governor left the ranks of the major opposition party to join the Social Democratic Party ahead of the 2019 general elections. His time within that party was defined by a protracted and highly publicized legal battle over the validity of the presidential ticket against the former Minister of Information, Jerry Gana. Although the apex court eventually upheld his status as the validly nominated candidate, the severe internal friction and prolonged litigation significantly degraded the campaign's structural momentum. Consequently, the third-party bid struggled to fundamentally disrupt the deeply entrenched bipartisan structure dominated by the All Progressives Congress and the People’s Democratic Party.
After a brief, symbolic return to the main fold of the People’s Democratic Party in 2021, the veteran politician has strategically transitioned his ideological alignment to the historic Peoples Redemption Party. By aligning with one of Nigeria's oldest surviving political progressive platforms, the veteran administrator is positioning his latest executive campaign around themes of institutional reform, economic modernization, and disciplined fiscal management. Observers note that his ability to secure the party’s trust marks a calculated effort to build a formidable ideological coalition capable of challenging the established political elite in the upcoming national electoral cycle.
