Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) says its strict adherence to internal rules, transparency and fairness helped it avoid the crises and litigations that have trailed the conduct of primaries in some political parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The party’s National Chairman, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, stated this while featuring in the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Personality Interview Series in Abuja on Tuesday.
While assessing the party’s recently-concluded presidential and other primary elections, Baba-Ahmed described the exercise as challenging but largely successful.
He said that the party was determined from the outset to follow its constitution and established guidelines in selecting candidates for various elective positions.
The PRP national chairman said that the party adopted a deliberate strategy of identifying and encouraging credible Nigerians with proven records of service and integrity to participate in the electoral process rather than waiting for aspirants to emerge on their own.
“We decided that our primaries would be conducted strictly on the basis of laid-down rules and regulations.
“We also went out to look for credible people, individuals trusted by their communities and who are capable of offering quality leadership to Nigerians,” he said.
Baba-Ahmed further stated that the process produced a total of 420 candidates for various elective positions, most of whom, he said, were nominated and endorsed by their communities.
He noted that while a few aspirants expressed dissatisfaction with some outcomes, the party’s internal appeal mechanism effectively addressed their grievances.
“We had about four or five cases where people disagreed with the results, but our constitution provides for an appeal process.
“We had an excellent appeal committee and in most cases, the committee affirmed the outcomes of the primaries,” he said.
Baba-Ahmed attributed the peaceful conduct of the exercise to the party’s commitment to justice, transparency and equal treatment of all aspirants.
According to him, every contestant was given a fair opportunity to participate, while consensus arrangements and uncontested races also helped minimize disputes and unnecessary elections.
“If parties respect the democratic principle that the process must be fair, transparent and just, then whoever wins will be accepted by all.
“That is what we did and today, we can proudly say we have concluded our primaries and produced our candidates without any litigation,” he said.
The PRP national chairman also expressed happiness that the party was able to complete its primaries and announced its candidates, while some other political parties were still grappling with internal disagreements.
He reiterated the party’s remained commitment to strengthening internal democracy and presenting credible candidates to Nigerians ahead of the 2027 general elections. (NAN)
