The national chairman of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Alhaji Falalu Bello, has stated that his party will not team up with any party that does not share its ideology. He emphasized that the party is deeply concerned about the welfare and well-being of every Nigerian.
Bello disclosed this during a press conference in Abuja, where he analyzed the conduct of the 2023 general elections, titled “Let’s Rescue Our Wobbling Democracy.”
He mentioned that while the PRP believes in mergers and alliances as part of the democratic process, the party would only consider such collaborations with like-minded parties based on the principles and ideologies of its founding fathers.
“Let me be very clear on this (mergers and alliances). PRP originates from NEPU, a 74-year-old party. We have been a political party in Nigeria since 1979, for about 45 years. We stand for certain principles and will not merge with any party that does not align with our beliefs. We are on the left of the political spectrum, not on the right. To me, PDP and APC are two sides of the same coin, left or right, head or toe. What is the difference? It’s been 25 years of collective rule by PDP and APC, and we have seen their actions.
“Is Atiku not the same person who was part of the PDP government? Is there a real difference between PDP and APC? For me, it is the same group of capitalists governing the nation. I’m not saying we should not evolve as a party; we are a left-wing party. I’m not saying this status quo should continue. Today, China has the highest number of billionaires in the world. So we should evolve and change. But when you form alliances, it should be with someone you can align with; otherwise, issues may arise.”
Bello emphasized the consistency of the PRP as a party and highlighted its struggles, including being deregistered and subsequently fighting to regain registration up to the Supreme Court. He affirmed the party’s belief in the existence of a left and right in Nigerian politics, clarifying that their position on the left does not necessarily mean subscribing to traditional socialism or communism.
Regarding the 2023 general elections, Bello criticized the exclusion of qualified candidates from the two major parties, APC and PDP, which required a hefty N100 million for nomination forms. He noted the prevalence of inducements during both the primaries and the elections and called for a reformation of the electoral process to ensure a more transparent and fair system. He also advocated for the restructuring of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), suggesting that its functions should be limited to the conduct of elections.
Meanwhile, Kola Abiola, the presidential candidate of the PRP in the previous year’s general elections, dismissed the proposed merger involving the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party, and the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) as a ruse and a mere homecoming of individuals who had previously gone separate ways before the elections.
“The merger you see today is the homecoming of candidates. The NNPP candidate, the Labour Party candidate, and the PDP candidate are all PDP members. If they come together again, maybe they are thinking of not splitting their votes but consolidating their votes in the next elections. There is a big difference there.
That is not a merger of parties. That is the reabsorption of people who left your party.
There’s no principle behind that at all. They are just candidates who left to pursue their individual interests and decided to come back home, trying to unite for a common understanding. Do you call that a merger or an alliance? It is not.”
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