Senate Minority Leader Hints at Possible PDP Return for Jonathan, Peter Obi Ahead of 2027

Senate Minority Leader, Abba Moro, has hinted that former President Goodluck Jonathan and Labour Party’s presidential candidate in 2023, Peter Obi, may return to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, August 26, Moro confirmed that talks were ongoing with both men as part of PDP’s strategy to reclaim power.

“So, in the run-up to 2027, I am aware certain individuals have been talking to Peter Obi, saying, ‘Come back home, this is what we are likely to do, and if you return, you stand a chance of being the candidate,’” Moro revealed.

On Jonathan, Moro added: “Some persons are talking to the former president to come and run. It is a possibility.”

Jonathan, who governed Nigeria from 2010 following the death of President Musa Yar’Adua and was elected in 2011, lost his re-election bid to Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, becoming the first sitting president in Nigeria’s history to be defeated at the polls. Since leaving office, he has kept a low political profile, though his loyalists have repeatedly called for his comeback.

Peter Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, was PDP’s vice-presidential candidate in 2019 before defecting to the Labour Party ahead of the 2023 elections. His candidacy, which energized Nigeria’s youth population, saw him secure a historic third-place finish behind President Bola Tinubu of the APC and PDP’s Atiku Abubakar.

Although Obi has since aligned with opposition figures under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition while expressing interest in another presidential run, it remains unclear under which party he will contest.

The PDP recently zoned its 2027 presidential ticket to the South, a decision expected to shape alliances and negotiations as the opposition prepares for what is likely to be a fiercely contested race.