A founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Professor Jerry Gana, says Peter Obi would defeat any northern candidate if he returns to the PDP and runs for president in 2027.
Gana made the statement on Wednesday during an interview on Arise TV’s Prime Time. His comments come as talks continue about Obi possibly rejoining the PDP, despite his recent meetings with the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Obi, who contested the 2023 presidential election on the Labour Party’s platform, had left the PDP in May 2022.
“The PDP is on the ground. I’m a researcher, and I research opinions. In the northern states, Peter Obi under the PDP will defeat any candidate because our people are very fair-minded and just,” Gana said.
He also confirmed that efforts are ongoing to bring Obi back to the party.
“We are reaching out to Peter Obi. Because I’m leading a search team and there are many brilliant people, Peter may be good, but we have somebody better. So, we are searching,” he added.
Reflecting on the 2023 elections, Gana admitted the party made mistakes, particularly in how it handled Obi’s departure.
“We made a mistake in 2023. If I were Atiku, I would say, ‘Peter, it is now your turn; I would give you a vice-president,’ but he didn’t,” he said.
Gana dismissed the idea that the PDP is falling apart, saying the internal issues are mostly confined to a few powerful people in Abuja and do not reflect the mood of supporters across the country.
“I must confess that many people have forgotten that the PDP was created as a grassroots organization.
“In 1998, we were formed and then moving to the elections in 1999 we were in every polling unit, because we are the ones who really won the first election.
“Many people have forgotten the PDP won most of the local governments, when it came to the presidential elections, we won the presidency, we won the Senate, we won the House.
“We were totally in control, and that is why we were very delighted that we restored democracy to Nigeria and re-established civil rule.
“Because for a number of years there was military rule but we successfully terminated that in a very democratic way, so the PDP was really as it were, a grassroots party.
“That’s why when we said ‘power to the people,’ we meant it because that was what it was, and it has been like that.
“So when this recent problem happened, it was really among a few elites here in Abuja. It didn’t even go beyond.”
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