The Peoples Democratic Party has confirmed ongoing efforts to bring back Peter Obi, the former Anambra governor and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, into its fold.
This was revealed by PDP Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Ibrahim Abdullahi, on Thursday, July 17, during an interview on Arise Television.
He described Obi as a major political asset whose return would significantly strengthen the party ahead of the next general elections.
“Peter Obi is our product. We want to get him back, indeed, because he is a very, very great capital for any political party,” Abdullahi said.
He praised Obi’s performance in the 2023 elections, noting that the Labour Party candidate secured over six million votes despite what he termed “institutional obstacles.”
“If he had not gone the way he did in the last dispensation and had not faced the institutional obstacles that were placed in his path, we are confident he would have performed even better.
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“That he was still able to command over six million votes shows he is not a candidate to ignore,” Abdullahi added.
Obi, who left the PDP just before the 2023 primaries, eventually came third in the presidential race, behind PDP’s Atiku Abubakar and the winner, Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the APC.
Acknowledging the impact of Obi’s exit on the PDP’s performance, Abdullahi said the party continues to hold him in high regard and views his potential return as a strategic advantage.
“Every political party that gets the opportunity to have him will be at an advantage. And certainly, PDP is not giving up on that effort,” he said.
According to him, the party is currently in consultations and long-term planning sessions aimed at building a united front with other opposition forces in anticipation of the 2027 general elections.
“In the fullness of time, we believe we might get him back. It will be a big boost to the PDP,” Abdullahi stated.
Obi is yet to publicly respond to the PDP’s efforts, but the development comes amid mounting pressure on opposition parties to form an alliance strong enough to challenge the APC, which has been in power since 2015.