Former Minister and founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prof. Jerry Gana, has said that while Labour Party’s Peter Obi is a strong political figure, the PDP has someone even better prepared to lead Nigeria in 2027.
Gana made the comments during an interview on Arise News, where he also renewed his call for Obi to return to the PDP. He said Obi would perform much better, especially in the northern part of the country, if he contests under the PDP in the next general election.
“The PDP is well-rooted across Nigeria. I am a researcher, and based on public opinion, Peter Obi under the PDP will defeat any candidate in the northern states. Our people are fair-minded,” Gana said.
Obi, a former governor of Anambra State and presidential candidate of the Labour Party in 2023, left the PDP in May 2022 to pursue his ambition under the LP. Despite that, Gana said many in the PDP still see potential in Obi and are willing to work with him again.
“We are reaching out to Peter Obi. He may be good, but we have somebody better. We are on a search mission for the best candidate to challenge the ruling party in 2027,” Gana added.
Gana also criticized the PDP’s handling of the 2023 elections, saying the party made a mistake by not giving Obi a major role. “If I were Atiku, I would have said, ‘Peter, it is now your turn; I would give you vice-president,’ but he didn’t,” he said.
Supporting Gana’s view, former PDP National Legal Adviser, Jacob Mark, said Obi was welcome to return to the party. He stressed that the PDP remains Obi’s best platform for winning the 2027 presidential election.
Obi has recently declared that he remains a member of the Labour Party but is also working with an ADC-led political coalition.
