PDP talks with Obi and Atiku as party leaders intensify consultations to rebuild national influence ahead of future elections

The Peoples Democratic Party South-South Chairman, Emmanuel Ogidi, on Wednesday in Abuja, announced that the party will hold high-level consultations with former presidential candidate Peter Obi and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as part of efforts to restore its national relevance.

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Emmanuel Ogidi disclosed the plan while speaking on the Morning Brief programme on Channels Television, where he described the engagements as strategic moves to reposition the opposition party.

According to Ogidi, the consultations form part of a broader outreach to influential political figures across the country.

He said the party had already met with former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former military leader Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, stressing that the discussions were meant to signal that the party was regaining momentum.

Ogidi confirmed that meetings with Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar, both former members of the party, were next on the agenda.

He said Atiku Abubakar’s status as a former vice president made him a critical stakeholder, adding that the PDP remained committed to engaging all key democratic actors.

Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar were both prominent standard-bearers of the PDP in previous elections, serving as vice-presidential and presidential candidates respectively in 2019.

Atiku also flew the party’s flag in the 2023 presidential election before both politicians later aligned with the African Democratic Congress.

Meanwhile, the PDP National Working Committee on Tuesday met with former President Goodluck Jonathan at his office in Maitama, Abuja.

The delegation, led by National Chairman Tanimu Turaki, said Jonathan reaffirmed his loyalty to the party and pledged continued support ahead of forthcoming off-season elections and the 2027 general polls.

The consultations come amid a deepening internal crisis within the PDP following its defeat in the 2023 general elections.

The party, which governed Nigeria from 1999 to 2015, is currently split into rival factions claiming control of the national leadership after a contentious convention in Ibadan, Oyo State, where several senior figures were expelled.

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Party leaders believe the renewed dialogue with influential former members could prove decisive in stabilising the PDP and rebuilding its electoral strength.