Former Cross River State Governor and 2027 presidential candidate of the People’s Redemption Party (PRP), Donald Duke, has said his personal friendship with President Bola Tinubu remains intact despite his disagreement with the direction of the current administration.

Duke said his political differences with Tinubu should not be interpreted as a personal dispute, stressing that their relationship predates the president’s current position in government.

Speaking on Monday during an interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State, the former governor said he had known Tinubu since 1998 and continued to regard him as a friend despite his criticism of the administration’s policies.

“President Tinubu is my friend since 1998 but I don't like the direction he's going. I think we will not achieve much going in this direction. But when it comes to personality, we remain friends.”

Duke's comments came while reacting to the state of the Nigerian economy and the opposition's efforts to build a common platform capable of challenging the APC.

The PRP presidential candidate criticised the economic hardship facing Nigerians, arguing that government policies should be assessed by their impact on citizens' welfare rather than official claims of economic progress.

He questioned the effectiveness of measures introduced by the Tinubu administration to cushion the effects of fuel subsidy removal, exchange-rate reforms and other economic changes.

When presented with several government interventions, including conditional cash transfers, grants for small businesses, student loans, minimum wage adjustments and the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative, Duke challenged the interviewer to identify any of the policies that had personally improved his circumstances.

“Not one of these policies, would I say, has benefited me in any way,” he said, adding that temporary financial assistance was not a sustainable substitute for economic productivity.

He argued that government should focus on creating an environment in which Nigerians could earn sustainable incomes, rather than relying on periodic grants and stipends.

“I told you that the mission statement of a government ought to be the productivity of its people,” Duke said.

The former governor also criticised what he described as an unsustainable economic environment, citing high interest rates, energy costs and the challenges facing businesses that depend on bank financing.

He maintained that Nigeria's abundant natural and human resources should be harnessed to improve productivity and reduce the country's dependence on imports.

Duke said his disagreement with Tinubu was therefore rooted in concerns about governance and the country's economic direction, rather than personal animosity.

His position, he explained, was that political leaders should be judged by their ability to improve the lives of Nigerians, regardless of their personal relationships or political affiliations.