As preparations for the 2027 general elections gather momentum, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says it is planning high-level consultations with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in a bid to form a strong opposition against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The disclosure was made by the PDP South-South Chairman, Mr Emmanuel Ogidi, during an appearance on Channels Television. According to him, the planned engagements are part of wider efforts to restore the PDP’s national relevance and rebuild its influence ahead of the next election cycle.
Atiku, who was the PDP’s presidential candidate in 2019 and 2023, previously served as vice president on the party’s platform between 1999 and 2007. Peter Obi was his running mate in 2019 before emerging as the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in 2023. Both politicians have since aligned with the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Ogidi explained that the PDP leadership has already begun consultations with key national figures, including former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Ibrahim Babangida, adding that similar plans were in place to meet Obi and Atiku.
“We are going round, meeting people who matter in Nigeria to let them know that the PDP is alive and moving,” Ogidi said, insisting that the party remains “the real face of democracy in Nigeria.”
Earlier in the week, members of the PDP National Working Committee, led by National Chairman Tanimu Turaki, also met with former President Goodluck Jonathan at his Maitama office in Abuja. Turaki later told journalists that Jonathan reaffirmed his loyalty to the PDP and promised to continue supporting the party as it prepares for upcoming off-season elections and the 2027 polls.
However, the PDP’s move quickly drew sharp reactions from the Obidient Movement and the ADC. Both groups questioned the feasibility of wooing Atiku and Obi back to a party currently grappling with internal leadership disputes.
Reacting to the development, Atiku’s Media Adviser, Mazi Paul Ibe, said the ADC remains open to working with other opposition forces but maintained that the party represents the most viable path forward. He stressed that Atiku believes the ADC offers a stronger platform for collaboration aimed at rescuing Nigeria from what he described as the failures of the APC-led government.
Similarly, ADC’s National Publicity Secretary, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, dismissed the PDP’s outreach, questioning where exactly Atiku and Obi were being invited to return. He pointed to the PDP’s leadership crisis and factional disputes, arguing that such instability makes the party unattractive for serious political realignment.
The Obidient Movement also rejected the idea outright. Its National Coordinator, Dr Yunusa Tanko, said the PDP’s unresolved internal problems undermine any attempt to lure Peter Obi back. He questioned the logic of inviting a key political figure into a party struggling to define its leadership and direction.
Meanwhile, sources within the PDP insist that consultations are ongoing and could still yield concrete outcomes ahead of 2027, even as opposition realignments continue to reshape Nigeria’s political landscape.
Once the dominant ruling party between 1999 and 2015, the PDP has remained deeply divided since losing the 2023 elections, with rival factions still laying claim to its national leadership. Whether its current outreach efforts will translate into a united opposition front remains to be seen.
