Peter Obi Could Win Northern States if He Returns to PDP

Prof. Jerry Gana, a founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has expressed confidence that former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, would outperform any rival in Nigeria’s northern states if he rejoined the PDP.

Speaking during an interview on Arise TV’s Prime Time on Wednesday, Gana said, “I conduct opinion research, and based on that, Obi would beat any candidate in the North if he were in the PDP, because northerners are fair-minded.”

Peter Obi left the PDP in May 2022 to become the presidential candidate of the Labour Party for the 2023 elections.

Gana also emphasized the PDP’s historical grassroots presence, noting its critical role in ending military rule and reinstating democracy in 1999. “Many have forgotten that the PDP was built from the ground up.

In 1998, we were present at every polling unit leading up to the 1999 elections. We won not only the presidency but also the Senate and the House of Representatives. We were fully in control, and that’s how we successfully brought back civil governance,” he said.

Reaffirming the party’s original slogan, he added, “When we said ‘power to the people,’ it wasn’t just talk it reflected the PDP’s grassroots foundation.”

Commenting on recent internal party issues, Gana dismissed them as minor disputes among a few elites in Abuja, saying they hadn’t spread nationwide.

Gana, who served as Minister of Information and Cooperation under President Olusegun Obasanjo between 1999 and 2003, also spoke about the PDP’s commitment to fairness in power rotation.s

He noted that by 2031, it would be the North’s turn to produce the presidential candidate, emphasizing the party’s dedication to equity and national unity.