John Shiklam in Kaduna
A former governor of Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, has quit active politics and stepped down as the National Chairman of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP).
Musa was elected governor on the platform of the party in 1979 under the leadership of the late Mallam Aminu Kano.
The PRP is the only surviving party among the political parties that dominated the political scene in the second republic.
Speaking while declaring open the 54th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the party on Friday in Kaduna, Musa who would be 82 in October, said he was vacating the position for a younger person to carry on.
He however said he would continue to make contributions where necessary.
He said: “Due to age, declining energy and failing health, it has become necessary for me to vacate the seat for a younger and fresher blood”.
He however said his successor would not just be a young man in age, but someone who is “robustly and combatively committed to all the ideals that the PRP has always stood for”.
Musa assured that he would always be “available for party assignments within the limit of my fading energy and failing health.”
He thanked members of the party for all the support given him over the years and urged them to extend same support to his successor as according to him, “there is much work to be done and all hands must be on deck”.
Musa further told the incoming NEC members that the National Secretariat of the party had proposed uniform guidelines for primaries to determine candidates at all levels of the party structure for the 2019 general elections.
He explained that the party adopted such measure as a result of the limited time frame within which primary elections must be concluded in accordance with INEC guidelines.
“These guidelines are specific to the impending 2019 elections only and may be modified as deemed fit for other subsequent elections.
“Under our party’s constitution, the NEC is empowered by article five, section f, to issue such periodic guidelines” Musa said.
He urged the NEC to give state all organs of the party specific deadlines for the conduct of the primaries so as to meet the INEC dateline.
