Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed has explained why Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso never joined his party. The PRP national chairman spoke on Wednesday about the collapsed negotiations.
Both politicians had been expected to defect from the ADC to the PRP. Instead, they chose to move to the NDC, according to reports.
Baba-Ahmed told DITV Kaduna that talks did happen between the three parties. But disagreements over conditions made the deal fall apart, he noted.
"They came and said they wanted to join the PRP," the chairman recalled. "When we sat down though, there were certain demands they made," he added.
A major stumbling block emerged quickly during discussions. Obi and Kwankwaso demanded a guaranteed presidential ticket before even joining.
According to Baba-Ahmed, they wanted the party's nomination without facing internal competition. He rejected this outright during negotiations.
"We told them no, this is PRP; we do not practice that kind of politics," Baba-Ahmed said. He explained the party's democratic principles to them.
He suggested they join first, then contest like other members. "After joining, you can then tell me, 'I am Obi, and I want to run for President,'" he noted.
Kwankwaso could have run as running mate, Baba-Ahmed indicated. But neither man accepted these terms.
His question was straightforward: why fear competition if they were truly strong? "If you are truly strong contenders, then why fear opposition?" he asked.
Both politicians ultimately moved to the NDC instead. The PRP recruitment efforts with them ended in failure.
