Former Minister of Information and founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Professor Jerry Gana, says Peter Obi can win the 2027 presidential election if he returns to the PDP.
Gana made this statement during an interview on Arise TV’s Prime Time on Wednesday. He said the PDP is popular across Nigeria and that Obi, under the party, would beat any candidate from Northern Nigeria.
“In the northern states, Peter Obi under the PDP will defeat any candidate because our people are very fair-minded and just,” Gana said.
Peter Obi, the former governor of Anambra State, left the PDP in May 2022 and ran for president under the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election. Recently, there have been talks about his possible return to the PDP, even as he engages with the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Gana confirmed that the PDP is still talking to Obi.
“We are reaching out to Peter Obi. Because I’m leading a search team and there are many brilliant people. Peter may be good, but we have somebody better. So, we are searching,” he said.
He also admitted that the PDP made a mistake in how it handled Obi’s exit in 2022.
“We made a mistake in 2023. If I were Atiku, I would say, ‘Peter, it is now your turn; I would give you a vice-president,’ but he didn’t,” Gana stated.
Gana said the PDP’s recent internal problems only affected “a few elites in Abuja” and did not reflect the views of ordinary members across the country.
Also Read:
“The PDP was created as a grassroots organization. In 1999, we were in every polling unit. We won the presidency, the Senate, and the House of Representatives,” he explained.
“We restored democracy to Nigeria and re-established civil rule. So when we said ‘power to the people,’ we meant it,” Gana added.
He believes the PDP remains strong and ready for the 2027 elections.