The Kwankwasiyya movement has dismissed claims by the National Chairman of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, that the leader of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, and former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, held talks with the party over a possible alignment ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Baba-Ahmed, who spoke during a Hausa political programme on DITV Kaduna, had claimed that discussions between the PRP and the two opposition figures collapsed following disagreements over conditions for joining the party.
According to him, both Obi and Kwankwaso allegedly sought assurances that they would secure the party’s presidential ticket without internal contest.
“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,” Baba-Ahmed said.
He added that the PRP leadership rejected the alleged request, insisting that anyone seeking elective office under the party must first formally join and comply with its internal democratic procedures.
Reacting to the claim, the spokesperson of the Kwankwasiyya movement, Dr Habibu Sale, denied that any formal negotiation or meeting ever took place between Kwankwaso, Obi and the PRP leadership.
Sale said there was no official contact known to the movement that could warrant discussions about presidential tickets or conditions for joining the party.
“To us, there is no official evidence that Peter Obi and Kwankwaso sat down and discussed moving into the PRP,” he said.
He, however, acknowledged that the PRP, like some other political platforms, had reached out to opposition figures and coalition groups in recent months in an effort to provide an alternative platform amid lingering uncertainty within the opposition camp.
“We know the PRP itself, like the NDC, tried to reach out not only to Peter Obi and Kwankwaso but to all coalition forces, especially at the period when the crisis in the ADC became apparent,” he stated.
Sale maintained that such overtures never translated into formal discussions, stressing that there was no meeting where demands for presidential tickets or conditions were tabled.
“There was no formal sitting that warranted any request or condition being put forward by my principal,” he added.
The Kwankwasiyya spokesperson further described Baba-Ahmed’s comments as an attempt to attract public attention, insisting that the PRP lacked the political strength to warrant such demands from major opposition figures.
“At this point in time, the PRP is not a party that can boast of being formidable enough to warrant Kwankwaso and Peter Obi making such demands,” he said.
He added that Baba-Ahmed had, on several occasions, publicly invited opposition figures to join the PRP, noting that the invitation was open to all opposition elements and not specifically directed at Kwankwaso.
