By Abiola Olawale
In a dramatic turn of events, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its leadership have launched a campaign to woo Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, back into the party.
This follows the resignation of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar from the party on July 14, 2025.
The move which was confirmed by PDP’s Deputy National Publicity Secretary Ibrahim Abdullahi, has triggered a wave of Intrigues and shock across the political spectrum of the country.
During an interview on Arise News, Abdullahi described Obi as “a great political capital” and emphasized the party’s determination to bring him back into the fold.
He acknowledged Obi’s performance in the 2023 election, where he secured over six million votes despite running on the Labour Party platform after leaving the PDP in 2022.
According to him, the PDP recognises Obi’s political weight and has begun moves to bring him back into the party.
Abdullahi also admitted the fact that the PDP at that time underestimated Obi’s political influence in 2023, noting that his exit fragmented the opposition vote, contributing to President Bola Tinubu’s victory.
Abdullahi stated: “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.
“The truth of the matter is if he had not gone the way he did in the last dispensation and proved that mettle to generate over six million despite the rigging and frustration of his chances in many of the states. Peter Obi is truly a political capital no doubt about it,”
The New Diplomat reports that PDP’s renewed interest in Obi comes on the heels of Atiku’s resignation from the party on July 14, 2025, citing “irreconcilable differences.”
Prior to his resignation, Atiku, a serial presidential aspirant and the PDP’s flagbearer in 2023, had joined forces with Obi, former President of the Senate, David Mark, and other opposition heavyweights under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to challenge Tinubu in 2027.
The opposition coalition adopted ADC as its political platform ahead of 2027 and has already appointed Mark as the interim National Chairman of the party and a former Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola as the interim National Secretary of the party.
