Jerry Gana: There Are Plans to Woo Peter Obi Back to PDP Ahead 2027 General Poll
*CP-PDP applauds moves to zone party’s presidential ticket to south
Chuks Okocha in Abuja
A founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Professor Jerry Gana, has disclosed that he was holding discussions with the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, and other prominent southern political figures ahead of the 2027 general election.The former Minister of Information disclosed this during an interview monitored by THISDAY.The PDP Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Ibrahim Abdullahi, had earlier stated that, “Peter Obi is our product. We want to get him back, indeed, because he is a very, very great capital for any political party.”When asked to confirm the discussion with Obi during the interview, Gana said, “Yes, why not? He was our member.
In fact, if I were the former Vice-President, I would have said in 2023, ‘No, Peter, you were my vice-presidential candidate in 2019. Now, I’ll support you.’ It would have been a strong statement.”Gana, who is leading one of the party’s consultative delegations, said although formal talks with Obi had not yet occurred, discussions were underway with people close to him.According to him, “I have met people. I have met him (Obi), and I have met people he would refer to, and I have sat with them for hours. We are moving step by step,”Gana added that Obi was not the only figure being courted, as the PDP was exploring broader options across the southern region.“We’re not just looking at one person.
One, two, three, even more. You know, the South is full of talent,” he said.Gana, who has been leading the advocacy for a southern presidency in 2027, urged the party to restore the zoning principle, “In tune with this patriotic wisdom of the founding fathers, we urge all our leaders to support the strategy of bringing out our presidential candidate for 2027 from the Southern states.“Such a strategy will not only ensure victory at the polls, but promote justice, fairness and equity,” the former minister said, even as he also advised the party to choose a credible party leadership in a transparent election at the proposed national convention.“We must also develop a new focus on empowering the next generation. We reaffirm our commitment to youth inclusion and generational equity, which is very crucial.
“The PDP must deliberately open the space for younger Nigerians. Brilliant, energetic and innovative minds should be allowed to participate actively as leaders within our party structures and as candidates at all levels in the 2027 general election.“Their ideas, energy and digital fluency are essential for building the Nigeria we all deserve and our 2027 electoral strategy must elevate young leaders with fresh ideas and proven commitment.“We should deliberately mainstream youth and women into our party’s core leadership structure, ensuring that their voices are heard and their contributions are highly valued,”he said.Meanwhile, the Conference of Professionals in the PDP (CP-PDP), yesterday, applauded the disposition of the party to zone the 2027 presidential ticket to the southern region of the country.In a statement by the Protem National Coordinator of CP-PDP, Obinna Nwachukwu, the executive Party Policy Monitoring and Review Roundtable of the party said, ”As an umbrella assembly of dedicated professionals in the PDP, the CP-PDP, after far-reaching consultations and analysis of the electoral fortunes of the party, submits that zoning the Presidential ticket to the south gives the PDP a vantage position to defeat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 elections.
”With the benefit of our expertise in the current political demography in the country, it is clear that zoning the ticket to the contrary or throwing it open will be counter-productive to the PDP as it would upstage the already established eight-year power swing between the north and the south.” The group said given the failure of the Tinubu administration and the general desire by Nigerians to vote him out in 2027,it was imperative for national stability to democratically replace the APC with a better hand from the South in 2027 to complete the south’s eight years and thereafter return power to the north in 2031.
The Conference, said other things that were reviewed included the communique of the 101st National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting and commended the Party leadership with the decision to embrace legal steps to recover the seats of all serving members of the National and State Assemblies elected on the platform of the PDP but defected to another Party.
