A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Emmanuel Ogidi, has disclosed that the party plans to hold talks with former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and other key political figures as part of efforts to rebuild and reposition Nigeria’s main opposition party.
Ogidi, who is the PDP South-South Chairman, made the disclosure on Wednesday during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief. He said the party had begun consultations with influential national figures to signal its return to active opposition politics.
According to him, PDP leaders have already met with former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former military ruler, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (retd), as part of the ongoing outreach. He added that meetings with Obi and Atiku were also being planned.
“We’re doing the rounds. We have already seen a former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, and a former President, IBB. It’s about seeing those who are important in Nigeria to tell them that we are alive and we’re moving,” Ogidi said. “Yes, we also have plans to see Peter Obi. Even Atiku Abubakar, as a former vice president of the country, we are going to meet him. The PDP is the real face of democracy in Nigeria.”
Both Obi and Atiku are former members of the PDP and were standard-bearers of the party in past elections. Atiku was the PDP’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, while Obi ran as the party’s vice presidential candidate in 2019 before defecting. Both politicians have since joined the African Democratic Congress.
The outreach follows a meeting on Tuesday between members of the PDP National Working Committee and former President Goodluck Jonathan at his Maitama office in Abuja. The delegation was LED by the party’s National Chairman, Tanimu Turaki.
Briefing journalists after the meeting, Turaki said Jonathan reaffirmed his commitment to the PDP, describing him as an active, card-carrying member of the party who feels obligated to support its activities. He said the former president’s assurances were encouraging as the party prepares for off-season elections in Ekiti and Osun states, as well as the 2027 general elections.
The PDP, which governed Nigeria from 1999 to 2015, has been engulfed in internal crises since losing the 2023 presidential election to the All Progressives Congress. The situation has been further complicated by leadership disputes following the party’s convention in Ibadan, Oyo State, where prominent figures including the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and former Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, were expelled, with rival factions now laying claim to the party’s national leadership.
