[2] The original party was banned after the 1983 military coup led by General Muhammadu Buhari.

[3] 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.

Upon formation of the PRP, an invitation was extended to Aminu Kano and other prominent leftists,[3] and he was soon elected as the party's national president.

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.

On 31 August 2018, Balarabe Musa quits active politics due to health issues,[6] and stepped down from his chairmanship position of the party to allow young politicians take over.