Peoples Redemption Party presidential candidate Donald Duke says Nigeria needs a stronger culture of merit in public appointments and should place competence, integrity and institutional capacity above political loyalty.
The former Cross River State governor said winning an election should mark the end of partisan campaigning and the beginning of serious governance.
Duke argued that government appointments should not automatically become rewards for campaign supporters.
He said presidents and governors should instead assemble the strongest team available to deliver on development objectives.
The PRP candidate said every appointee should be guided by the responsibility to leave institutions stronger than they found them.
Duke linked Nigeria’s economic and governance problems partly to weak institutions and appointments driven by patronage.
He said public offices should be occupied by people with the competence and character required to produce results.
The former governor also pointed to his record in Cross River between 1999 and 2007 as evidence of his own governing philosophy.
Those claims form part of his political campaign and would be judged by voters and independent assessments of his record.
Duke said stronger institutions were essential to restoring public trust and creating conditions for sustainable development.
His message places merit based appointments and institutional reform at the centre of his 2027 campaign.
