'He's a great asset' - PDP begins move to bring back Peter Obi

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has revealed plans to bring back Peter Obi into its fold, describing him as “a great capital” and a significant political figure ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Ibrahim Abdullahi, made the disclosure on Thursday, July 17, during an interview on Arise News.

He said the party was “doing everything possible” to secure Obi’s return, acknowledging his influence in the 2023 presidential polls despite perceived electoral irregularities.

“Peter Obi is our product, and the PDP indeed wants to get him back. He is a very great capital for any political party, and any political party that will have him will be to their advantage,” Abdullahi said.

Obi, a former Governor of Anambra State and one-time vice presidential candidate under the PDP, left the party in the build-up to the 2023 elections to contest under the Labour Party (LP).

Despite the shift, he won twelve states, including the Federal Capital Territory, and garnered over six million votes, finishing third behind the PDP’s Atiku Abubakar and the APC’s Bola Tinubu.

Abdullahi admitted the party underestimated Obi’s potential.

“The truth of the matter is if he had not gone the way he did... and still generated over six million votes in spite of the rigging and frustration, Peter Obi is truly a political capital, no doubt about it,” he stated.

While Obi recently reaffirmed his loyalty to the Labour Party, he also indicated a willingness to work with a broader opposition coalition under the African Democratic Congress.

Meanwhile, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who led the PDP’s last two presidential campaigns, has formally resigned from the party and joined the same coalition, intensifying the race for strategic alignments ahead of 2027.