Duke likens pro-Tinubu opposition parties to Abacha-era ‘leprous fingers’

Presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party, Donald Duke, has likened opposition parties supporting President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid to political parties that backed former military ruler Sani Abacha’s transition programme. Duke, a former Cross River State governor, made the comparison during an interview, drawing a parallel to the "five leprous fingers" expression used in Nigeria’s political history to describe the five parties established under Abacha’s regime.

The expression, coined by the late Chief Bola Ige, was used to condemn the five parties that registered under Abacha’s transition programme in the 1990s. Duke’s remarks come amid political realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections, with opposition figures divided over strategies to challenge Tinubu’s re-election bid.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch Nigeria's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.