The Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) accused the Vice-Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, of allegedly taking possession of 69 nomination forms meant for aspirants contesting under the party in Kano state.
The development has reportedly thrown many PRP aspirants into uncertainty, with party officials expressing concerns over the implications ahead of submission deadlines set by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The allegation was made by the PRP Chairman in Kano State, Abdulkadir Musa Guza, during a press briefing held at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre in Kano.
According to Guza, the issue came to light after he travelled to Kaduna for a party retreat and to secure nomination forms for aspirants in Kano who had already paid to contest under the party’s platform.
“I was in Kaduna as State Chairman of PRP to participate at the party retreat and also obtained forms for my people who were contesting various offices in Kano and who paid for them but I was told that somebody had purchased all the forms”.
Guza said he was surprised by the development and immediately sought clarification from the party’s leadership.
Musa Guza added, “When I pressed hard to know who the person was, the national secretary of our party told me that it was Kwankwaso and I asked why, they said we are in talks with him for his possible defections to our party”.
The PRP chairman said the party initially believed discussions regarding Kwankwaso’s possible move to the PRP could explain the unusual purchase of the forms.
However, he noted that days later, there had been no official defection or formal political move from the former Kano governor, raising fresh suspicions about the motive behind the action.
According to him, after days without any sign of Kwankwaso defecting to the PRP, it became apparent that he may have been engaged in a mischievous mission against the party, as one cannot belong to another party while holding another party’s forms.
Guza said the situation has created serious confusion within the party, especially for aspirants who had planned to contest for various elective positions under the PRP.
He warned that the party would not hesitate to pursue legal action if the forms were not returned before INEC’s deadline for submission of candidates.
The party chairman further alleged, “We don’t know his missions, that is why we are telling every listening ears the situation”.
He added that the issue goes beyond internal party politics, stressing that the future of many aspirants is now hanging in the balance.
The PRP leader expressed concern that hundreds of aspirants seeking to contest under the party are now left in confusion, uncertain about their political fate.
“That is why we are taking legal actions against him should he refuse to surrender our forms before INEC closes time for submission of contestants’ names to their office,” he said.
Guza also claimed that the problem may not be isolated to the PRP alone, suggesting that other political parties could be facing similar challenges.
“It is not only our party that is suffering this negative fate. Other parties are facing the same problems as us”, he added.
As of the time of filing this report, Kwankwaso has not publicly responded to the allegations.
