Why Peter Obi And Kwankwaso Didn’t Join PRP – Baba-Ahmed

Posted by: Folamidavid in Politics May 14, 2026

Datti Baba Ahmed

The National Chairman of the Peoples Redemption Party, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has explained why Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso did not join the New Nigeria Peoples Party ahead of the 2027 general elections. He recently had his say while speaking during a Hausa political programme on DITV Kaduna.

According to him, talks between the PRP and both politicians collapsed after disagreements over conditions attached to their proposed entry into the party.

He added that even though Obi and Kwankwaso approached the PRP for possible collaboration, the negotiations eventually stalled after both sides failed to reach an agreement.

His words, “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.

Before they joined, they told us that they were the presidential candidates, meaning they should be given the ticket. We told them no, this is PRP; we do not practice that kind of politics.

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?

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.

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.

They said when they checked the INEC portal, they could not find our party’s name there, which has been addressed. But they also heard some people falsely claiming to be PRP members, which they felt could create confusion if they joined the party. We told them we are doing our best to address that too.”

WOW.