Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
ABUJA, Nigeria – A stunning political prediction has set the stage for the 2027 presidential race. Datti Baba‑Ahmed, the former Labour Party vice‑presidential candidate who ran alongside Peter Obi in the 2023 election, now declares that former Cross River State governor Donald Duke would “defeat President Bola Tinubu and Peter Obi in a free, fair and credible election.” Baba‑Ahmed, now a chieftain of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), made the remarks during an interview on Symfoni TV’s “Niger Unfiltered” programme on June 4, 2026.
“In a free and fair election in Nigeria, Donald Duke is the winner,” Baba‑Ahmed insisted. He argued that many Nigerians have not fully appreciated the depth of Duke’s national appeal and leadership credentials. Drawing a parallel to the 2023 election, he warned that a similar mistake could be made regarding Duke’s prospects – just as many had underestimated Peter Obi’s popularity before the last election. “There is a kind of storm you will not know when it hits you. People saw Peter Obi’s movement coming. I think they may not see Donald Duke’s coming,” Datti said.
Baba‑Ahmed pointed to Duke’s long association with Northern Nigeria, noting that he spent his formative years in Sokoto and maintains close ties with influential families across the region. “He was adopted in President Shagari’s house like a son. There is not a single major northern family that does not know Donald Duke by name,” Datti claimed. He also highlighted Duke’s clean record, arguing that the former governor has spent nearly two decades outside government without major corruption controversies. “Those of us who bring our experience from the business world are even better than those who have been in government misruling and misruling,” Datti added.
The prediction comes as Donald Duke has just emerged as the presidential flag‑bearer of the PRP for the 2027 general election. On May 25, 2026, the PRP held its presidential primary, where Duke secured the majority of votes. The party’s National Chairman, Hakeem Baba‑Ahmed (brother of Datti), announced the result at the PRP national secretariat in Abuja. Duke had been cleared alongside two other aspirants: economist Dr Nnaoke Ufere from Abia State and former African Action Congress presidential candidate Yakubu Mohammed Kingsley from Edo State. The three aspirants had unanimously agreed to submit themselves to the party’s democratic process.
However, Duke’s candidacy has not been without controversy. Yakubu Mohammed Kingsley, who came second in the primary, has called for Duke’s immediate disqualification, alleging irregularities in the process. He claimed that Duke’s physical absence from key party meetings should have disqualified him. Responding to these objections, Hakeem Baba‑Ahmed defended the selection process. “Donald Duke applied to join the party like everybody else. He complied with all the processes, including the screening of candidates,” he told Arise Television. He explained that Duke participated in the consensus meeting via phone, and that “being absent physically is not a breach of either rules or regulations”.
Datti Baba‑Ahmed’s endorsement of Duke adds a dramatic twist to Nigeria’s evolving political landscape. Datti, who served as Peter Obi’s running mate in 2023, has since distanced himself from the Labour Party. In a separate interview with Symfoni TV, he revealed that he joined Obi’s ticket out of sympathy after three prominent politicians reportedly declined to run with Obi. “I have sympathy for him. And this sympathy was at the core of our relationship,” Datti said. He added, “When he approached three other major politicians in 2022, I would have been glad if one of them had gone with Peter Obi. But they all avoided him. I felt bad for him”. Datti has since insisted that Obi “does not own my politics; he doesn’t own me”.
Datti also used the interview to launch a scathing attack on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), criticising the timing of the 2023 presidential result announcement. “How can an INEC chairman promise African leaders, including Nelson Mandela’s younger brother, Thabo Mbeki, that he would announce the election result by 9 am but sneaked and did the announcement by 4 am?” he asked. He labelled the INEC that announces results at 4 am as “a criminal INEC”.
Reactions to Datti’s prediction have been divided. Some political analysts see Duke as a credible alternative with a track record of infrastructure development and tourism promotion in Cross River State (1999–2007). Others, however, question whether a candidate from a smaller party can replicate the grassroots momentum that Peter Obi achieved in 2023. The PRP, one of Nigeria’s oldest opposition parties founded on the ideology of the late Aminu Kano, has been repositioning itself ahead of the elections by attracting new entrants.
President Tinubu is widely expected to seek a second term in 2027, while Peter Obi is also expected to contest again, likely under a different platform after leaving the Labour Party. The 2027 race is shaping up to be a crowded and competitive field, with economic challenges, insecurity, and unemployment expected to dominate voter concerns. Whether Donald Duke can indeed defeat the established heavyweights – as Datti boldly claims – remains to be seen. But for now, the PRP chieftain has fired an unmistakable warning shot across the bow of Nigeria’s political establishment.
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