The National Chairman of the Peoples Redemption Party, Hakeem Baba Ahmed, has alleged that former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi and leader of the New Nigeria People’s Party, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, failed to join the PRP ahead of the 2027 elections because the party refused to hand them automatic presidential tickets.
Baba-Ahmed made the claim during a Hausa political programme aired on DITV Kaduna, saying discussions between the PRP and the two politicians collapsed after disagreements over conditions for joining the party.
According to him, Obi and Kwankwaso initially approached the PRP for possible collaboration before negotiations later progressed to the point where a committee was proposed to continue discussions.
“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.
The PRP chairman alleged that one of the key demands was that both politicians should be guaranteed the party’s presidential ticket without facing internal competition.
“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,” Baba-Ahmed stated.
He explained that the party insisted Obi and Kwankwaso must first formally join the PRP and follow the party’s constitutional 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.
Baba-Ahmed said although the party acknowledged the political influence and support base of both men, the PRP could not violate its internal democratic process.
“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 added.
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The PRP chairman further claimed that the camps of the two politicians also demanded a significant number of party positions because of the supporters they intended to bring into the party.
“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 said.
Reacting to the claims, spokesperson of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, Habeeb Saleh Mohammed, dismissed Baba-Ahmed’s allegations, describing them as attempts to attract 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 stated that he was unaware of any official meeting where Obi or Kwankwaso demanded the PRP presidential ticket.
“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 added.
Questioning the motive behind the allegations, the Kwankwasiyya spokesperson said Baba-Ahmed appeared to be seeking political relevance.
“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,” he stated.
Mohammed maintained that the allegations were baseless and should not have warranted any response.
Recall that both Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso have since joined the Nigeria Democratic Congress ahead of the 2027 presidential election.