Duke slams opposition parties backing Tinubu’s re-election bid

Presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Donald Duke has questioned opposition figures backing President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid, likening them to the political parties that supported late military dictator General Sani Abacha.

Speaking during an interview on ARISE News on Thursday, the former Cross River State governor revived one of Nigeria’s most famous political metaphors to condemn opposition leaders currently cohabiting with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

“You talked about some of the opposition parties supporting the president. It was reminiscent of what happened in Abacha’s transition,” Duke said. “You know the ‘five leprous fingers’? Yes. So, you now have four leprous fingers because one of the fingers has dropped off.”

The phrase “five leprous fingers” was famously coined in the late 1990s by the late Chief Bola Ige to describe the five state-sanctioned political parties under Abacha’s regime—the UNCP, NCPN, GDM, DPN, and CNC—which all controversially adopted Abacha as their sole presidential candidate in 1998 before his sudden death.

Duke’s sharp criticism comes immediately after the APC formally launched its Presidential Campaign Council in Abuja for the 2027 elections.

APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda confirmed that the ruling party successfully recruited prominent opposition heavyweights to endorse Tinubu’s second-term ambition, including.

Some of them include the FCT Minister and member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who pledged to deliver Rivers State and Abuja for Tinubu, Osun State Governor (Accord Party), who stated that four years was insufficient for Tinubu’s economic reforms to yield full results and Anambra State Governor (All Progressives Grand Alliance), who formally committed his party’s support to the president.

The high-profile endorsements have intensified concerns over opposition disunity ahead of 2027.

 In the 2023 presidential election, divided opposition votes between PDP’s Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party’s Peter Obi paved the way for Tinubu’s victory.

As political realignments accelerate, Duke and other opposition figures argue that without a united coalition, history risks repeating itself with a fragmented opposition enabling a runaway ruling party.