PRP never sold nomination forms to Kwankwaso, says Baba-Ahmed

The National Chairman of the Peoples Redemption Party, PRP, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has dismissed claims that the party sold 69 nomination forms to the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, for various elective positions in Kano State.

Speaking during an interview on ARISE Television on Tuesday, Mr Baba-Ahmed described the allegation as “complete fiction” and insisted that the individual who made the claim had no connection with the party.

“This is complete fiction. The legitimate PRP chairman in Kano has already issued a statement dismissing the claim as complete bunkum,” he said.

According to him, there was no possibility that Kwankwaso could have purchased 69 nomination forms from the PRP in Kano, stressing that 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 claimed they sold 69 forms to Kwankwaso is not known to the party. He holds no position, has no authority to sell forms, and we do not know him,” Baba-Ahmed stated.

The PRP chairman suggested that the allegation may have been politically motivated.

“It is possible that this entire story was contrived as part of ongoing political manoeuvring in Kano. As far as the PRP is concerned, we sold forms from Abuja in the same manner we sell to every other candidate. Candidates from Kano purchased forms, registered, contested, and went through primaries more than a month ago.

“Those candidates have emerged from the process, and we are forwarding their names to INEC,” he added.

Mr Baba-Ahmed also disclosed that he had personally spoken with Kwankwaso regarding the claim.

“I’ve spoken to Kwankwaso himself, and he is as amused as everyone else that he would allegedly buy 69 forms for non-existent candidates. He is not even a member of the PRP,” he said.

Addressing reports about previous discussions involving Kwankwaso and NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi joining the PRP, Mr Baba-Ahmed confirmed that talks had taken place but did not result in any formal defection.

“They did come to our party. We spent some time discussing whether they could join and whether the party could meet their political needs.

”In the end, they concluded that there wasn’t sufficient evidence on the ground that their expectations would be met, so they moved on. We parted as friends and remain friends with them,” he said.

The PRP chairman also dismissed reports of factional divisions within the party, insisting that the PRP remains united and politically stable.

“The PRP has no faction. We went through a very difficult period during which there were attempts, both from within and outside the party, to cripple us.

“The failure of INEC to upload the names of our elected officials after our convention, which was duly observed by the commission, created some challenges for us. However, we overcame those difficulties. Today, the PRP is a healthy party.

“We are looking forward to a vigorous and transparent electoral contest, and we believe our chances are bright. The PRP is determined to make a difference this time,” Mr Baba-Ahmed said.