The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says there are discussions currently ongoing to bring back some notable politicians to the party.
Deputy national publicity secretary of the party, Ibrahim Abdullahi spoke on Monday when he featured on Sunrise Daily, a programme on Channels Television.
He stated that if the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, Peter Obi and his counterpart in the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso were members of the PDP during the presidential poll, the party would have defeated the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Both Kwankwaso and Obi decamped from the PDP in March and May 2022 — months before the 2023 presidential election.
“We have lost Kwankwaso, we have lost Peter Obi — all of these people — imagine if they are in the party, we will have gone to win the elections,” he said.
“This APC said they defeated us with one million plus (votes), just one of these names that I mentioned would have covered that gap for us and we would have been in power today and certainly Nigerians would not have been confronted with this despair and despondency in the land.”
When asked if the PDP is working to bring politicians like Obi, Kwankwaso, and others back to the party prior to the 2027 election, Abdullahi retorted: “Sure, discussion is ongoing”.
“You will see Peter Obi discussing with Atiku, you will see Peter Obi meeting with (Nasir) El-Rufai. Party management is a very difficult thing and we are doing the best in the quagmire that we have found ourselves. Rest assured, there would be light at the end of the tunnel. We have learnt our lessons in a bitter way,” Abdullahi said.
Bola Tinubu of APC polled a total of 8,794,726 votes to defeat Atiku Abubakar of the PDP who scored the second-highest figure with 6,984,520 votes in the 2023 presidential election.
In the buildup to the polls, the PDP was enmeshed in an internal crisis with five governors in the party refusing to support Abubakar at the period.
Several months post the election, the problems within the opposition party has continued to degenerate.
The party recently instituted a reconciliation and disciplinary committees to help “build a stronger and more united party that is ready to serve the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians”.