The National Chairman of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, on Tuesday said former Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and ex-governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso, failed to join the PRP ahead of the 2027 general elections because they allegedly wanted the party’s presidential ticket guaranteed.
PrimeTimes Nigeria reports that Baba-Ahmed spoke during a Hausa political programme on DITV Kaduna.
He said talks between the PRP and the two politicians broke down after disagreements over conditions for joining the party.
According to Baba-Ahmed, Obi and Kwankwaso approached the PRP for possible collaboration, with discussions reaching the stage where a committee was proposed to continue negotiations.
“They came and said they wanted to join the PRP, but when we sat down and discussed with them, there were certain demands they made,” he said.
He alleged that one of the major demands was that the politicians wanted the presidential ticket without an internal contest.
“Before they joined, they told us that they were presidential candidates, meaning they should be given the ticket. We told them no, this is PRP; we do not practice that kind of politics,” he said.
Baba-Ahmed said the party insisted that both politicians must first formally join the PRP and follow its internal procedures before seeking elective positions.
“I told them: first come into the party. After joining, you can then tell me, ‘I am Obi, and I want to run for President,’ and ‘I am Kwankwaso, and I want to be his running mate.’
“But for you to come even before a decision is made and ask us to guarantee you the ticket without opposition if you are truly strong contenders, then why fear competition?” he queried.
The PRP chairman said that although the party recognised the political influence of Obi and Kwankwaso, it would not violate its constitution or abandon internal democracy.
“We believed that if anyone entered a room and saw Obi and Kwankwaso, they would think strong contenders had arrived. But we cannot break our party’s rules,” he said.
He further claimed that the camps of the two politicians requested several party positions because of the supporters they planned to bring into the PRP.
“They requested that many positions be given to them because they said they had many supporters. We told them this was not a problem, come into the party first, then we can sit down and discuss,” he added.
Kwankwasiyya Denies Claim
According to Vanguard, the spokesperson for the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Habeeb Saleh Mohammed, dismissed Baba-Ahmed’s claims, saying the PRP chairman was seeking attention.
“Well, I believe every Nigerian that is actually familiar with the situation will tell you that the PRP made an appeal on national television through its national chairman, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, asking Peter Obi and my principal, and even members of the coalition, to move into the PRP,” he said.
Mohammed said he was not aware of any formal meeting where such demands were made.
“I’m not actually aware of any official sitting among my principal, Peter Obi and the PRP as a party where my principal or Peter Obi directly requested a ticket,” he said.
He added, “I don’t know what exactly they are trying to prove. But the reality is that since my principal and Peter became the centre of attraction, I believe everybody wants to attract some sort of attention to himself by saying these things.”
Mohammed maintained that Kwankwaso never approached the PRP to demand a presidential ticket.
“Otherwise, I don’t think there was a time, not to my knowledge, when they presented themselves to the PRP and demanded to be given the presidential ticket,” he said.
He described the allegation as “a baseless, unsubstantiated claim.”