A Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) chieftain, Yakubu Mohammed Kingsley, has disagreed with the party’s presidential candidate, Donald Duke, over his criticism of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, urging opposition politicians to acknowledge viable government projects while offering credible alternatives.
Kingsley, who contested the PRP’s May 25, 2026 presidential primary against Duke, made the position known in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday.
Duke was affirmed by the PRP National Working Committee in June as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general election after the party reviewed petitions arising from its primary.
Kingsley, however, is challenging Duke’s emergence in court in a suit involving the PRP, the former Cross River State governor and the Independent National Electoral Commission.
The latest disagreement between the two politicians centres on the coastal highway.
Kingsley said political opposition should be based on constructive criticism, objectivity and alternative solutions rather than rejecting government policies simply because they were initiated by an incumbent administration.
“Where government policies or projects are wrong, the PRP should identify the problems, explain their consequences and provide credible alternatives. Where government gets something right, the party should have the courage and objectivity to acknowledge it,” he said.
Speaking from his professional background as an engineer and highway engineer, Kingsley said the Lagos-Calabar project had the potential to improve inter-city connectivity, reduce travel time and strengthen freight movement along Nigeria’s southern corridor.
The Federal Government has described the project as a 750-kilometre inter-state highway and economic corridor linking Lagos with Cross River through Nigeria’s coastal states.
Kingsley said the project should be viewed beyond the immediate construction activity, arguing that its long-term impact could extend to tourism, logistics, industrial development, regional planning and the creation of new economic corridors.
He also pointed to the potential for complementary infrastructure, including bridges, interchanges, drainage and flood-control systems, road safety facilities, service areas and logistics infrastructure.
The PRP chieftain, however, said supporting the project’s engineering concept should not shield it from scrutiny.
He listed cost, financing, procurement, environmental impact, right-of-way management, construction methodology, quality control, value for money and long-term maintenance among the areas that should be subjected to rigorous examination.
“Such scrutiny, however, should not prevent objective recognition of the potential engineering and developmental significance of the project,” he said.
Kingsley stressed that his position on the highway should not be interpreted as an endorsement of the Tinubu administration’s performance across the board.
He accused the government of failing to meet Nigerians’ expectations in areas including insecurity, poverty, unemployment, energy supply, rising living costs, institutional weaknesses and infrastructure deficits.
“The truth must be spoken; the present administration has, in several critical respects, failed to meet the expectations of Nigerians,” he said.
According to him, the role of an opposition party should be to identify failures, explain their consequences and provide practical alternatives rather than oppose every government initiative.
Kingsley consequently urged PRP candidates contesting governorship, Senate, House of Representatives and state House of Assembly seats in 2027 to make their campaigns issue-driven.
“Rather than spending their campaigns merely attacking incumbent governments, PRP candidates should demonstrate how their programmes will improve security, education, healthcare, agriculture, employment, infrastructure, industrialisation, social welfare and the overall wellbeing of citizens within their respective jurisdictions,” he said.
The development adds another layer to the internal political contest within the PRP as the party prepares for the 2027 elections.
Kingsley’s legal challenge to Duke’s emergence as the party’s presidential candidate remains pending before the Federal High Court in Abuja, with judgment fixed for November 2, 2026.
