The Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) on Wednesday issued certificates of return to its presidential candidate, Donald Duke, and others who triumphed at the party’s recent primaries.
In his remark at the event, the party’s National Chairman, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, said the development marked a pivotal milestone for the party, as it positioned itself as the ultimate ideological alternative ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He congratulated the candidates and reminded them that they were ambassadors of the country.
He drew a sharp line between what he called the transparent internal processes of PRP and the chaotic primary elections often witnessed in rival mainstream political parties.
“PRP has just placed itself at the heart of a fundamental imperative: to inspire in Nigerians the confidence and determination to retrieve our country from leaders who have successfully turned our dreams into nightmares,” Baba-Ahmed stated.
According to him, a political party cannot lack justice internally and magically provide it to the broader Nigerian populace.
“Today, we serve notice to fellow Nigerian citizens that the journey to a different, happier future is not an illusion,” he added.
The PRP chairman praised Duke’s intelligence, vision, integrity and an uncompromising commitment to the public good.
He said the ex-Cross River State governor political career served as a blueprint for how power should be exercised and relinquished in a healthy democracy.
“He stands as a testament to the fact that not all Nigerian leaders seek public office for personal gains; that leaders can serve and move on to pursue other challenges in life; that Nigeria is worth serving in every capacity.
“He stands tall as a thoroughbred Nigerian whose life has been shaped by all the strands of our rich, abundant nation,” Baba-Ahmed concluded.
In his acceptance speech, Duke described his candidature as a rescue mission for “a nation fighting itself to the detriment of its citizens.”
He stated that the primary function of government had been fundamentally perverted by a ruling elite that viewed power merely as a tool for self-enrichment.
“Truth is, we have lost focus; political gangsters and highwaymen have made siege and appropriated the land and rendered it barren.
“Then they weaponised the resulting poverty they brought forth, and every four years, they come back to renew their so-called mandate of reaping the province’s fortune upon our already weary shoulders.
“This time, it shall be the people’s bandit, not theirs.” Duke said.
(Ripples)