Professor Jerry Gana, a founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Minister of Information, has asserted that Peter Obi would outperform any northern contender in the 2027 presidential race if he rejoined the PDP.
Gana made this statement during an interview on Wednesday, as speculation continues over Obi’s possible return to the PDP, despite his recent interactions with the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Obi, who ran for president under the Labour Party in the 2023 election, had exited the PDP in May 2022 to pursue his ambition with the LP.
“The PDP is on the ground. I’m a researcher, and I research opinions. In the northern states, Peter Obi under the PDP will defeat any candidate because our people are very fair-minded and just,” Gana said.
He revealed that efforts are still ongoing to bring Obi back into the PDP fold.
“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.
Gana also admitted that the PDP mishandled Obi’s exit from the party ahead of the 2023 elections.
“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,” he said.