PDP regrets fielding Atiku in 2023, eyes Obi, Jonathan for 2027 – Abba Moro

Senate Minority Leader and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Abba Moro, has admitted that the party regrets presenting former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections.

Moro, who represents Benue South Senatorial District, disclosed this during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

“As a result of how the election turned out and because the Nigerian people spoke, definitely, it [fielding Atiku] was an error,” he said. “To lose a very monumental election in that disastrous manner is certainly in for regret.”

The PDP came second in the 2023 polls, losing to the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Nearly two years after the loss, Atiku has left the PDP but is yet to declare his new political base.

Speaking on the party’s strategy ahead of the 2027 elections, Moro revealed that discussions were ongoing to convince Labour Party’s 2023 candidate, Peter Obi, and former President Goodluck Jonathan to return to the PDP.

According to him, some stakeholders have been reaching out to Obi, assuring him of a strong chance of clinching the PDP ticket if he rejoined the party. Moro also confirmed that overtures were being made to Jonathan, saying, “Some persons are talking to the former president to come and run. It is a possibility.”

Obi, who was Atiku’s running mate in 2019 before moving to the Labour Party, was said to have left the PDP after being frustrated by internal politics, a claim Moro corroborated. Since losing the 2015 election to Muhammadu Buhari, Jonathan has maintained a low profile and has not been actively involved in PDP affairs.

The latest developments signal that the PDP is weighing fresh options as it prepares for a comeback in 2027.