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Former Cross River State governor and Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) presidential candidate, Donald Duke, has said his cabinet may have no politicians if elected president in 2027, insisting that Nigeria’s worsening challenges require competent professionals rather than political appointees chosen to reward loyalty or secure future electoral support.
Duke, who spoke in an interview in Abuja, said he would be prepared to depart from the traditional practice of using cabinet appointments to compensate political allies, arguing that the country’s economic difficulties, insecurity, unemployment and deteriorating public services demanded a government assembled strictly on the basis of competence, capacity and performance.
“If I am going to pick a cabinet, you may not find any politician in that cabinet,” he declared.
The former governor said Nigeria could no longer afford an administration preoccupied with political calculations and the next election when millions of citizens were looking to government for solutions to problems threatening their livelihoods and future.
“I’m going for broke. When you start putting politicians in your cabinet, you are looking at the next election. You are thinking about the people who will support you.
“For me, I want the people to support me. If you perform, the people will support you,” he said.
Duke maintained that the 2027 presidential election should be determined less by the popularity of candidates, their political connections or the strength of their campaign structures and more by their capacity to confront the country’s mounting challenges.
He identified the economy, insecurity, unemployment, education, healthcare and the justice system as critical areas in which Nigerians should demand clear programmes and demonstrable competence from those seeking to govern them.
Drawing from his experience as governor of Cross River State between 1999 and 2007, Duke argued that performance remained the most effective political mobilisation tool available to an elected public officer, recalling how his record in government considerably reduced the burden of campaigning for a second term.
“My first election in Cross River was really tough. I was basically introducing myself to the people, and there were politicians running around everywhere.
“But by my second election, I hardly needed to go to rallies. You could feel the mood. People would tell me, ‘Don’t worry yourself; you have proved your mettle.’”
According to him, politicians seeking re-election should be judged principally by their achievements rather than fresh promises, elaborate campaign messages or explanations about what they intended to accomplish.
“When you prove your mettle, much of the politics disappears. People trust you because they have seen what you can do.
“When you are contesting for the first time, people hold on to your words because that is what you offered them. But when you are seeking a second term, they should hold on to your work. Your work should speak for you,” he said
Duke expressed concern that some incumbents still relied heavily on promises and elaborate campaigns after spending years in office, saying their performance should ordinarily provide sufficient evidence for voters to determine whether they deserved another mandate.
“At that point, you shouldn’t have to spend your time telling people what you did. They should know. Your work becomes your campaign,” he stated.
Beyond cabinet composition, the former governor questioned Nigeria’s approach to selecting political leaders, arguing that the constitutional conditions qualifying citizens to contest elections did not necessarily establish their suitability for the responsibilities of high office.
He said meeting requirements relating to age, citizenship and the absence of disqualifying criminal convictions was insufficient to demonstrate the knowledge, temperament, experience and capacity required to manage a complex country.
“The constitution tells you who is eligible. It tells you the age requirement and says you must not have certain criminal convictions and so on.
“But where is the section dealing with suitability?
“We need to sit down and design a suitability matrix. Leadership should not be a free-for-all where everybody enters and the most popular person wins, even when that person does not know where he is taking the country.”
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Duke likened the choice of political leadership to the selection of a football team for a crucial match, saying Nigerians must resist the temptation to sacrifice competence on the altar of popularity.
“If you want to win a Premier League match, you put out your best eleven. That is what I am trying to put on the table.
“This is not a popularity contest. You don’t substitute your future for a popular candidate. You look for who is best equipped to do the job,” he said
He explained that his decision to seek the presidency was partly informed by frustration over the country’s continuing deterioration and the apparent reluctance of capable Nigerians to offer themselves for public service.
While declining to describe himself as the most qualified contender, Duke said his entry into the race was intended to broaden the choices available to Nigerians and encourage a more serious assessment of leadership capacity.
“Am I the best candidate? I cannot say that. The voters will decide who the best is.
“But I want to put another option on the table because the options we have had have been too narrow and have not adequately addressed the issues,” he stated.
He said the same standard of competence he was advocating in the selection of a president would guide appointments into government if he secured the mandate of Nigerians in 2027.
According to him, the overriding responsibility of government is to create an environment in which citizens can become productive, secure and prosperous, a task that demands effective institutions and capable leadership across critical sectors.
“The ultimate function of government is to enhance the productivity of the people.
“Education becomes critical because people need the skills to be productive. Health is critical because they must be healthy enough to use those skills. Justice is fundamental because you cannot have peace without justice. And security, of course, is indispensable.
“The problem today is that everything has become urgent,” he stated.
Duke also criticised the Nigerian elite for what he described as a selfish approach to wealth and personal security, arguing that the tendency to insulate themselves and their families from the country’s problems had contributed to the deterioration of society.
“The Nigerian elite is selfish and self-centred. He thinks that by looking after himself and his immediate family, he is safe. But he is not.
“Enlightened self-interest should make us look beyond ourselves and consider the wider community.”
He warned that individual prosperity could not guarantee lasting security in a society characterised by widespread poverty, deprivation and insecurity, stressing that the wellbeing of the larger population was ultimately inseparable from the safety of the privileged few.
“If you want to be the richest man in the community, that is fine. But make sure the other members of that community are not so poor that your wealth itself makes you a target.
“You see successful Nigerians moving around their own country with security and sirens. This is your country. This is your home. Why should you live in fear in your own home and not realise that something is fundamentally wrong?”
Duke maintained that reversing Nigeria’s decline would require a fundamental change in the country’s leadership culture, particularly the practice of treating public appointments as rewards for political support rather than responsibilities demanding proven capacity.
He insisted that the next administration must be judged by its ability to improve the lives of Nigerians, arguing that competence, effective service delivery and public confidence should take precedence over patronage and calculations about future elections.
