The Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) presidential candidate, Donald Duke, has renewed his call for Nigeria to adopt a two-party political system to streamline political competition and minimize chaos.
Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday during a visit by the Council of the Wise of the Savannah Centre for Democracy, Diplomacy and Development (SCDDD), Duke, a former Cross River State governor, warned that escalating political desperation could spark widespread violence and plunge the nation into deep crisis if unchecked.
The former governor argued that the relentless focus on acquiring power at all costs has eroded core democratic values, transforming politics in Nigeria from a public service vocation into a desperate occupation.
The delegation from the SCDDD’s Council of the Wise was led by former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola. The visit formed part of the group’s broader advocacy engagements with key political leaders to foster peaceful conduct ahead of the 2027 polls.
Justice Ariwoola urged all presidential candidates to ensure their campaigns remain free from hate speech, inflammatory rhetoric, and incitement to violence.
The former Chief Justice cited Nigeria’s painful history of election-related unrest, referencing the 2011 general elections where over 1,000 lives were lost, primarily across northern states.
Ariwoola criticized the political class for treating elections as ‘matters of life and death’ through the deployment of political thuggery, vote buying, rigging, and ballot stuffing.
The Council called on political figures to strictly follow Independent National Electoral Commission guidelines to restore public confidence in the electoral system.