The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is reportedly planning high-level consultations with former presidential candidate Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and 2023 Labour Party (LP) flagbearer Peter Obi as part of efforts to mount a strong challenge against the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections.
PDP South-South Chairman, Mr. Emmanuel Ogidi, revealed on a Channels Television programme yesterday that the party intends to engage both political leaders in discussions aimed at restoring PDP’s national influence. Atiku, who served as PDP’s presidential candidate in 2023 and as vice president from 1999 to 2007, and Obi, who was his running mate in 2019, have since joined the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
“We’re doing the rounds. We have already seen a former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, and another former president, IBB. It’s all about seeing those who are important in Nigeria to tell them that we are alive and we’re moving. Yes, we also have plans to see Peter Obi. Even Atiku Abubakar, as the former vice president of the country, we are going to meet him. PDP is the real face of democracy in Nigeria,” Ogidi said.
The PDP leadership recently met with ex-president Goodluck Jonathan, with National Chairman Tanimu Turaki confirming Jonathan’s continued support for the party. “He remains an active, card-carrying member of the PDP and will try his best to do more for the party,” Turaki said.
However, both Obi’s supporters and the ADC have expressed skepticism about the PDP’s outreach. Mazi Paul Ibe, Media Adviser to Atiku, described the ADC as the “way forward” for opposition collaboration ahead of 2027, emphasizing that Atiku’s new platform is already engaged in discussions with parties and individuals focused on “rescuing Nigeria from the real malaise of the rule of Tinubu and the APC.”
ADC National Publicity Secretary, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, also questioned the logic of the PDP’s moves, highlighting the party’s ongoing leadership crisis. “Wooing which Atiku? Which Obi? Is it Obi, who joined ADC a few days ago? Wooing them to where? A party with factions and unresolved disputes can’t present a credible offer,” he said.
The Obidient Movement, which supports Peter Obi, similarly dismissed the PDP’s overtures, pointing to internal party conflicts as a major hurdle. “Well, they are making overtures to him, but the problem is that the party has issues at the moment. So, if you say you are making an overture, for him to go back to where?” asked Dr. Yunusa Tanko, the group’s National Coordinator.
The PDP, which governed Nigeria from 1999 to 2015, remains embroiled in internal disputes, with two factions claiming leadership following last year’s convention in Ibadan, Oyo State. This internal turmoil continues to raise questions about the party’s readiness to woo high-profile opposition figures ahead of the 2027 elections.
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