PRP Denies Selling 69 Nomination Forms To Kwankwaso

The National Chairman of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has dismissed allegations that the party sold 69 nomination forms in Kano State to the vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) for the 2027 elections, Rabiu Kwankwaso.

Baba-Ahmed described the claim as baseless and fabricated during an interview on ARISE Television on Tuesday, insisting that the report had no connection to the party’s activities.

“This is complete fiction. The real state chairman of the PRP in Kano had already released a statement saying this is just complete bunkum,” he said.

The controversy followed claims by a self-styled PRP chairman in Kano, Abdulkadir Musa-Guza, who alleged that Kwankwaso or his associates purchased nomination forms for all 69 elective positions in the state as part of an attempt to take control of the party’s structure ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Addressing journalists at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre in Kano, Musa-Guza accused the former Kano State governor of plotting to infiltrate the party despite not officially joining its ranks.

Reacting to the allegation, Baba-Ahmed maintained that the claim was impossible because nomination forms are issued only from the party’s national headquarters in Abuja.

“There is no way former Governor Kwankwaso could have bought 69 forms from the PRP in Kano. We don’t sell forms in Kano; we sell forms from Abuja. The man who spoke and said they had sold 69 forms to Kwankwaso is not known to the party at all. He has no position; he has no authority to sell any forms. We don’t know him,” he stated.

The PRP chairman suggested that the controversy may be linked to local political disputes in Kano.

“It is possible that this entire thing has been contrived as part of some problems or some politics in Kano. As far as the PRP is concerned, we sold forms, as we sell to everybody else, from Abuja. We sold forms to candidates from Kano. They registered, contested, and went through primaries more than a month ago.

“The candidates have emerged, and we are forwarding their names to INEC,” he added.

Baba-Ahmed also revealed that he had personally discussed the matter with Kwankwaso, who he said was equally surprised by the allegation.

“I’ve spoken to Kwankwaso myself, and he is as amused as everybody else that he would buy 69 forms for non-existent candidates. He’s not a member of the party,” he said.

Speaking on reports that Kwankwaso and NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi had considered joining the PRP, Baba-Ahmed confirmed that discussions took place but did not result in any formal alliance.

“They did come to our party. We spent some time discussing whether they could come into the party and whether they could join the party. In the end, they decided there wasn’t enough evidence on the ground that their needs would be met by the party. They moved on, and we parted as friends. We’re still friends with them,” he said.

The PRP chairman also dismissed reports of factional disputes within the party, insisting that the organisation remains united and focused ahead of future elections.

“The PRP has no faction. We came through a very difficult and demanding period where there were efforts from within and outside to cripple us.

“The failure by INEC to upload our names after our successful convention, which was observed by INEC, for more than a month caused some problems. But we came through that. As I speak to you now, we’re a very healthy party.

“We’re looking forward to a very vigorous and transparent competition, and we believe our chances are very bright that the PRP will make a difference this time,” he said.