Indications have emerged as to why the former Labour Party, LP, presidential candidate, Peter Obi is likely to return to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
The revelation comes amid moves by the former Senate President Bukola Saraki-led reconciliation committee to settle all aggrieved members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, which may likely yield its biggest result with the return of Obi to the party.
Obi, who was the running mate to former PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar in 2019, decamped to the LP in 2002.
While in LP, Obi contested for the presidency in 2023 and came third behind Atiku of the PDP and the eventual winner, President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, APC. Prior to the election, Obi and his team had harnessed Nigerian youths into the Obidient Movement which almost blanked the entire Nigeria.
Three weeks ago, Obi was part of the opposition coalition that adopted the African Democratic Congress, ADC, but he has refused to officially dump the LP, stressing that he was still a member of the party.
Meanwhile, the PDP has been walloped in leadership crisis since its 2002 presidential primary election that saw Atiku emerging as its presidential flag bearer. The crisis was linked to the party’s failure to adhere to its zoning arrangement. The party was meant to zone its presidential ticket to the South because its then National Chairman hailed from the North but that arrangement was never adhered to, a situation that led to the lingering crisis.
But the Saraki-led reconciliation committee has been meeting with all aggrieved party members with the aim of uniting the party ahead of the 2027 election.
Peter Obi likely to return to PDP as party agrees to zone presidential ticket to South
However, Obi’s former Special Adviser on Public Affairs during the 2023 presidential election, Katchy Ononuju, said the former Anambra State governor is likely to return to the PDP because the party has agreed to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the South.
Speaking with DAILY POST, he said: “What I can tell you is very simple. What caused the crisis, as I told you earlier, was that our party’s NWC got compromised and they refused to zone and that was why we left to start the youth movement. They have reached out to us that the Bukola Saraki committee said that they should zone to the South as a way to try to bring us back and make peace. Now because Atiku knew what was going on, he dashed out and that was why I said no when I spoke to Peter Obi that whatever those people you are speaking with want, I will not support you because you must understand the foundational reason why we left the PDP was because they refused to zone.
So whether we talk to them inside the party or we talk outside the party as alliances, they must agree to zone or explain to us why after eight years of Buhari, Southerners are not good enough to run for the Presidency.
“So right now the party has agreed to zone, they made that announcement last week at the NAF Conference Centre and based on that a lot of them have been talking to Peter Obi. Over the weekend, Peter went to see Babangida Aliyu and what we want are assurances.
“That is why I told you that someone like Kenneth Okonkwo is not part of us, he is a member of the APC. He only met us after we have started the movement, they are not strong enough to take on the crisis – we who are members of the PDP – me and Peter – who, out of them refusing to zone, we left, I and Doyin Okupe had to start the youth movement and we didn’t have candidate until we got Peter. Now that the party said they will do the same thing that they did in 2019, which is zone to the South as a way to bring us back, there is nothing wrong with that.
