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The zoning of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential ticket to the South has sparked moves to woo ex- President Goodluck Jonathan and former Labour Party presidential candidate in 2023, Peter Obi, back to the party, it was learnt yesterday.

This comes as loyalists of the Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde have declared that he remains in good standing to get the party’s ticket.

Meanwhile, opposition to the party’s zoning of the presidential ticket continued yesterday as The Gbenga Hashim Solidarity Movement (GHSM) described the decision as a constitutional and strategic blunder.

Some PDP state chapters exclusively told LEADERSHIP yesterday that they supported Jonathan and Obi’s return to the party ahead of the 2027 election.

The party chairmen who spoke with our correspondents said they were open to the return of the two political leaders, adding that they would give the party a good boost in 2027.

On Monday, the PDP National Executive Committee (NEC) zoned the party’s presidential ticket to the South, meaning that the party’s presidential flag-bearer would emerge from the south for the first time since 2019.

To strengthen the party to confront the incumbent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Jonathan and Obi are being wooed to return by party leaders. Two founding fathers of the party, former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido and former minister of information Prof Jerry Gana, are among those who have called for their return.

In an interview, Lamido described Jonathan as the PDP’s best bet, while Gana said Obi, as the PDP candidate, would defeat any other contender in the 2027 race.

Also, the Senate minority leader, Senator Abba Moro, confirmed during Tuesday’s Channels TV programme, Politics Today, that party leaders are engaging Obi to return.

Moro said the party is encouraging Obi to “come back home,” hinting that if he returns, he could be considered the PDP’s presidential flagbearer.

Yesterday, calls and messages sent to Jonathan’s media aide, Ikechukwu Eze, regarding the lobby for the former president’s return went unanswered.

Meanwhile, Obi’s media aide, Mr. Valentine Obienyem, told LEADERSHIP on Monday that “PDP has not approached him (Peter Obi). You cannot put the cart before the horse. If he is approached, he will decide one way or the other.”

Obi exited the party ahead of the 2023 election after the presidential ticket was thrown open for all contenders for the first time since 1999.

That decision led to Atiku Abubakar’s emergence and threw the party into crisis. Prominent southern politicians, led by former Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, refused to support Atiku in the presidential contest, arguing that a northerner could not succeed the late Muhammadu Buhari, who was completing two terms as president.

They argued that it contradicted the country’s power rotation and federal character principles.

On the other hand, Jonathan lost the PDP presidency to the ruling APC in 2015 because the North insisted on reclaiming power to the region after President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s demise.

Consequently, the zoning of the presidential ticket to the South is a key issue in lobbying the two former party leaders.

My Ambition is not bigger than Nigeria – Bauchi Gov

Bauchi State Governor and chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Senator Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir, has reaffirmed his support for the PDP’s decision to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the South, describing the move as a step toward unity, fairness, and democratic progress.

Speaking to journalists in Bauchi on Tuesday, shortly after returning from Abuja where the party NEC ratified the zoning formula, Governor Mohammed (from the Northeast zone) announced that he had withdrawn his presidential ambition in the interest of party cohesion.

He said his decision was guided by a deep sense of fairness, sacrifice, and commitment to preserving the PDP’s zoning arrangement.

“I am delighted with the resolution because I was part of the process, from the arrangement and strategy to the delivery. It is an all-inclusive decision,” he said.

Mohammed stressed that politics should not be driven by personal ambition but by service, sacrifice, and national development.

“Nigerians should know that politics is not about self-interest. Everything is predicated on sacrifice. We must live and let live, respect each other, and remember that power comes from God,’ he added.

Jonathan, Obi Stand Better Chances—Kogi PDP Chairman

For the PDP chairman in Kogi State, Enema Anyebe Ogugu, the party’s zoning of the presidential ticket is a welcome development.

According to him, Jonathan and Obi stand better chances of emerging as the PDP presidential candidate since the position has been zoned to the south where they are top figures.

“On the issue of former President Goodluck Jonathan, he stands a better chance if he decides to throw his hat into the ring. He was a former president who tried to ensure the country’s unity during his time.”

On Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, he said, “It is his right to join the PDP, The ticket has been zoned to their area, and how they go about it is exclusively theirs.”

Borno PDP Backs Zoning Of Presidency To South

The Borno State Chapter of the PDP has endorsed the zoning of the presidency for the 2027 presidential election to the South, saying it was represented in the zoning committee.

Speaking to LEADERSHIP in Maiduguri, PDP chairman in the state, Alhaji Zanna Gaddama, said the party was in support of the clamour for the return of the duo of former President Goodluck Jonathan and former presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 to the party, adding that any of them that wins the ticket would be accepted as the party’s flag bearer in the 2027 election.

Niger reacts

According to the PDP Vice Chairman in Niger State, Yahaya Ability, some party leaders are talking to Goodluck Jonathan and Peter Obi because the presidency is zoned to the South.

He said, “As you can see, yesterday at the NEC, I was in attendance. Groups were rooting for Jonathan, and some were also rooting for Seyi Makinde. Peter Obi is welcome back because the presidency is zoned to the south.”

“Jonathan or Peter Obi will offer Nigeria a brighter future than what it is today, and we will support any candidate who eventually emerges from the South.”

PDP Will Soar With the Return of Jonathan and Obi – Osun PDP

Similarly, the Osun State chairman of the PDP, Hon. Sunday Bisi, has backed Jonathan and Obi’s return to the PDP.

Speaking through the party’s director of media in the state, Hezekiah Olabanji, Bisi said the political gladiators’ return to the PDP would boost the party’s image because they are men of timber and calibre.

According to him, the two men are statesmen who positively impacted Nigeria during their time in the corridors of power.

He added that Nigerians look forward to having them back to further their landmark achievements in government.

Jonathan, Obi are no threat to Makinde – Group

Meanwhile, not only Jonathan and Obi are in the conversation for the PDP flagbearer in 2027 election.

Oyo State Governor Makinde, who has become the de facto PDP leader in the South, has been consolidating moves to win the party’s ticket.

Makinde, who has since fallen out with his former allies, the G-5, including the FCT minister Nyesom Wike, Samuel Ortom, Okezie Ikpeazu and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, has been scheming to emerge the party’s flag bearer.

His loyalists were sighted at the party’s national headquarters on Monday during the NEC meeting with big banners of his picture and inscriptions declaring his presidential ambition.

The PDP chairman in Oyo State, Dayo Ogungbenro, told LEADERSHIP that Governor Makinde is the candidate to beat.

Speaking with LEADERSHIP in Ibadan, the party leader said, “As of today, he has no opposition in the South. Makinde has no match.” He added that the governor has the brightest chance of picking the party’s presidential ticket.

He noted that, considering the governor’s performances in Oyo State, he could repeat similar development at the national level.

On whether Jonathan can threaten Makinde’s chances, Ogungbenro, noted that he was imposed on the nation by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

“Apart from being a former president, he has no achievements,’ he said.

Similarly, a PDP chieftain in Oyo State, Femi Babalola, known as ‘Jogor,’ said Makinde has what it takes to run for president if given the party’s ticket in 2027.

He described Makinde as a fresh breath with fresh ideas, which, according to him, is what the party needs.

Speaking while inspecting a project he donated a few years back to the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Babalola stated that Governor Makinde could beat other top contenders like Peter Obi and emerge as the party’s flag bearer in the 2027 general elections.

FCT PDP stakeholders reject zoning

Members of the PDP in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, have rejected the party’s zoning arrangement.

They, however, declared their support for Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim’s presidential aspiration ahead of the 2027 general elections.

At a stakeholder meeting attended by about 170 critical party stakeholders from various area councils, including local government, party ward chairmen, council chairmanship flag bearers, councillorship candidates, executive chairmen, secretaries of area councils, and other stakeholders, the FCT PDP faithful openly rejected the decision of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) to zone the presidential ticket to the South.

They insisted that the decision was unacceptable and vowed to resist any attempt to stop their preferred candidate from the North Central region from contesting for the party’s ticket.

Amid chants of “PDP, power to the people”, speakers at the gathering argued that it was time the North Central produced Nigeria’s president, stressing that the region can no longer continue to play a subordinate role in national politics.

Party chieftain, Hon. Soko Dobo, held that the North Central was solidly behind Olawepo-Hashim and that efforts were ongoing to rally delegates across the country in his favour.

“The national chairman said zoning does not mean others cannot contest. We in the North Central are fully behind Dr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim,” he said.

Another party stalwart, Dr Ezekiel, said Dr Gbenga Hashim fully understands the challenges facing FCT people.

He lamented the political marginalisation of FCT residents, saying that despite having a population of over five million across 800 communities, the territory still lacks a state structure and has only one senator and two members in the House of Representatives.

In his speech, Dr. Olawepo-Hashim thanked party leaders and supporters for endorsing his aspiration and assured them he would not disappoint. He urged them not to be discouraged by the NEC’s zoning decision, recalling that, in 1999, the PDP still allowed aspirants outside the favoured zone to contest.

Stakeholders also formally adopted Dr Gbenga Hashim as the political leader of FCT. In a motion moved by the state chairman, Hon Ismail Dogara, and seconded by the executive chairman of Bwari Area Council, Hon John Gabaya, all pledged, “Where you go, we go.”