Segun Sowunmi, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says Peter Obi should return to the party ahead of the 2027 presidential contest.
Obi, the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, left the PDP in June 2022, citing inability to make “constructive contributions”.
In an interview with the ‘Mic On podcast’ hosted by Seun Okinbaloye, Sowunmi said Obi needs a bigger platform going forward.
“Looking ahead to 2027, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of Nigeria will open its processes, announce when the forms are available, and anyone who feels confident enough to contest should step forward and do so,” he said.
“If I were Peter Obi, I would return to the PDP and make a strong case for the presidential ticket. I believe he should come back to the party.
“This party was originally conceived in the bedroom of Alex Ekwueme, so I don’t understand why the Igbos, along with southern leaders and other influential figures within the PDP, can’t come together and say, ‘Alright, we recognise this — here’s the ticket.
“If Peter Obi could secure over six million votes on his own — without governors or major support — just imagine what he could achieve with 12 governors and a solid grassroots infrastructure.
“Have you seen how we conduct our primaries? They’re like movie sets — intense and beautifully choreographed.
“We’ve covered every region, but we haven’t gone to the south-east yet. Still, Peter is free to make his own decisions.
“If his numbers and the animated energy that is following him were to follow him into the PDP and he is the presidential candidate, I can guarantee you Peter would take the south-east, Peter would take the south-south, Peter would take the Christian north, and Peter would take the north-central.”
The PDP stalwart clarified that he was only speaking hypothetically in response to a question about possible political alignments ahead of 2027.
Obi finished third in the 2023 presidential election, polling 6,101,533 votes behind APC’s Bola Tinubu who garnered 8,794,726 votes, and PDP’s Atiku Abubakar who secured 6,984,520 votes.
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