Chairperson Alhaji Balarabe Musa Headquarters Abuja | Founded 1978 (1978) Colours Red, white, Black | |
 | ||
Ideology Socialism,
Social liberalism,
democratic humanism | ||
The People's Redemption Party was a political party in Nigeria. The Second Republic incarnation of the Northern Elements Progressive Union and the Fourth Republican incarnation of a similar namesake, the party was created by the supporters of Mallam Aminu Kano after his withdrawal from the National Party of Nigeria. The PRP was highly regarded as a progressive left of center political party. Some well known members of the party included Governors Abubakar Rimi, Balarabe Musa, Dr. Edward Ikem Okeke, Abdullahi Aliyu Sumaila and Chinua Achebe — who served briefly as Deputy National President in the early 1980s.
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The original party was banned following the Military Coup of 1984 led by General Buhari. In the Fourth Republic, the party with the same name resurfaced under the leadership Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa; it could however not gather the same level of support as its Second Republican namesake.
History
Following the formulation of a new a constitution and an impending return to civil rule, Nigeria's top political elites organized a series political conferences with a view of creating a political party that can transcend tribal boundaries, these culminated in the formation of the National Movement. In September 1978 however a brawl in one of the finalizing meetings of the movement between Malam Aminu Kano (then a significant leftist champion) and some former members of the Northern People's Congress led to a section of mostly Marxist intellectuals breaking off, alleging a sidelining of leftists in Nigeria, these leftist on the 27 September 1978 formally pronounced the birth of the PRP.
1980's
In the 1980s a coalition of politicians styling themselves 'Progressives' called for a national front against the ruling NPN and by 1981 a conference of opposition Governors in Nigeria had organized into a 'Progressive Governors Forum'. The active participation of PRP's governors and MP's in these conferences that were by 1982 calling for a mega progressive party soon led to a crisis within the party. In mid 1982 a suspension of PRP Governors by pro Aminu Kano elements and a subsequent rejection of the suspension by Micheal Imodu (then Vice President of the party) led to official fractioning.
President
Upon formation of the PRP, an invitation was extended to Aminu Kano and other prominent leftists, and he was soon elected as the party's national president. In 1979 the party was able to capture 2 out of 12 states and came third in the national elections. Aminu Kano, died in April 1983, just before that year's presidential election. Khalifa Hassan Yusuf succeeded him as party leader and presidential candidate.
4th Republic
With the return to Democratic rule in 1999, some former members of the now defunct PRP tried to reinstate it with little success. Though most of its former members still claim some sort of allegiance to the Sawabist block, they mostly have remained subsumed in other political parties.