2027 PRP Presidential Primary: Donald Duke Emerges Flag Bearer Amid Calls For Fresh Election
By Calistus Amadi & Rhodes Ekene
E-ISSN: 2354-4481
Former Governor of Cross River State, Mr. Donald Duke, has emerged as the presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) for the 2027 general elections following the party’s presidential primary held in Abuja.
Duke, who recently joined the PRP, secured the party’s ticket after polling the highest number of votes in the exercise conducted at the party’s national secretariat.
Announcing the results, the National Chairman of the PRP, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, stated that Duke recorded 6,499 votes to defeat other contenders in the race.
According to him, Kingsley Yakubu, who campaigned extensively across the country on issues of youth inclusion and economic reform, came second with 2,699 votes, while academic and policy expert, Dr. Nnaoke Ufere, secured third position with 784 votes.
Baba-Ahmed described the exercise as transparent, credible, and free from bias, maintaining that the process reflected the democratic principles of the party.
The PRP chairman, however, advised any aggrieved contestant to seek redress through the party’s Appeal Committee in line with the party’s internal mechanisms for dispute resolution.
Meanwhile, the presidential campaign organisation of Dr. Nnaoke Ufere has rejected the outcome of the primary election and demanded a fresh exercise, alleging widespread irregularities and vote manipulation in favour of Donald Duke.
In a statement issued by the Executive Director of the Ufere2027 Presidential Campaign, Ishaq Alhassan, the organisation accused party officials of inflating votes beyond the total number of registered party members contained in the official register submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on May 4, 2026.
The campaign cited several states where it claimed the declared figures exceeded the number of accredited party members eligible to vote.
According to the statement, Gombe State reportedly recorded 1,431 votes despite having only 348 registered members, while Bauchi State allegedly produced 760 votes from a register of 593 members. In Kwara State, the campaign claimed that 82 votes emerged from a membership register containing only 55 names.
The organisation argued that across the three states mentioned, 996 registered members allegedly produced 2,273 votes, leaving what it described as 1,277 “phantom votes” unaccounted for.
“A register is a ceiling. Turnout cannot exceed 100 per cent of the people allowed to vote. Every vote beyond the register is, by definition, a vote that should never have been counted,” the statement read.
The Ufere campaign further alleged that the disputed votes largely favoured Duke, noting that the former governor reportedly joined the PRP only days before the primary election and did not publicly campaign during the contest.
In contrast, the campaign maintained that Dr. Ufere conducted nationwide consultations and mobilisation efforts across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, including programmes aimed at voter registration, women mobilisation, and grassroots engagement.
According to the campaign organisation, the outcome of the election has raised serious questions regarding the credibility and transparency of the process.
The statement also alleged that some party insiders described the outcome as pre-arranged, while referencing reports that Duke could potentially run alongside Senator Datti Baba-Ahmed, younger brother of the PRP National Chairman, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed.
Furthermore, the Ufere2027 Campaign rejected what it described as attempts to replace the original membership register submitted to INEC with another register dated May 25, 2026.
The campaign claimed that while the May 4 register contained 7,787 members, the new register allegedly reflected 12,378 members, representing an increase of 4,591 names after the rules governing the exercise had already been established.
“It cannot be changed after polling simply because the declared figures expose what they expose. Any attempt to retroactively swap the register is not a correction. It is a second irregularity layered on the first,” the statement added.
Consequently, the Ufere Campaign called for the immediate suspension of the collation process and any formal declaration of a presidential nominee pending a comprehensive review of the election.
The organisation also demanded a forensic audit of all votes using the INEC-approved membership register, publication of complete accreditation and voting figures across states and local governments, and the nullification of all results where votes allegedly exceeded the number of registered members.
In addition, the campaign requested an independent investigation into the alleged concentration of excess votes in favour of Duke and called for a fresh presidential primary conducted strictly in accordance with the party’s rules and democratic principles.
The group further demanded accountability for reported administrative lapses, alleged financial irregularities, incidents of violence, and claims of voter intimidation during the exercise, particularly at the Federal Capital Territory polling centre.
Reaffirming its position, the Ufere2027 Campaign stated that the PRP’s long-standing tradition of principled and accountable politics must be protected through transparent electoral processes capable of inspiring confidence among party members and the Nigerian electorate.
