Fresh indications suggest that former Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, may be on the verge of returning to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), following the party’s recent decision to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to Southern Nigeria.
The move is part of ongoing reconciliation efforts spearheaded by a committee led by former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, aimed at uniting aggrieved members and repositioning the PDP ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Obi, who ran as Atiku Abubakar’s running mate under the PDP in 2019, left the party for the LP in 2022. He subsequently contested the 2023 presidential election under the LP and finished third behind Atiku and President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Despite aligning recently with the African Democratic Congress (ADC) through an opposition coalition, Obi has yet to formally renounce his LP membership.
In an exclusive chat with *Daily Post*, Obi’s former aide and political associate, Katchy Ononuju, confirmed ongoing high-level engagements between the PDP and Obi. He revealed that zoning was the core reason Obi and several others left the PDP in 2022.
“What caused the crisis, as I told you earlier, was that our party’s NWC got compromised and refused to zone the ticket. That was why we left and started the youth movement,” Ononuju stated.
He added that the PDP’s recent zoning resolution has reignited talks between Obi and party stakeholders. “Now that the party said they will do the same thing they did in 2019—zone to the South as a way to bring us back—there is nothing wrong with that,” he said.
Ononuju also hinted that Obi’s potential return could dismantle the ADC’s influence. “The moment we decide on a platform, that Ruga called ADC will collapse,” he remarked.
He further suggested that if both PDP and ADC agree on Southern zoning, a merger or alliance between the parties could be on the horizon.
In his concluding remarks, Ononuju stressed that Obi’s movements are not personal but strategic. “There is nothing personal against anybody. It is simply about justice. After eight years of Buhari, Southerners deserve a fair chance,” he said.
With growing internal pressure, zoning resolutions, and strategic realignments underway, Obi’s return to the PDP may significantly reshape Nigeria’s 2027 political landscape.
