Segun Sowunmi, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has called on the party to urgently begin efforts to bring back Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate and former PDP member.
Speaking during an appearance on Politics Today on Channels Television, Sowunmi described Obi as a key political figure whose influence could rejuvenate the PDP’s fortunes. Obi, who left the PDP in May 2022, citing massive vote-buying and internal sabotage, went on to contest the presidency under the Labour Party, securing over 6.2 million votes.
“Any deep-thinking, fair-minded Nigerian man who is in the political party called the PDP ought to know that the greatest, necessary next step is to have the conversation about, ‘How do you bring Peter back’ now that the energy driving him is organic,” Sowunmi stated.
He urged the PDP to acknowledge the weight Obi carried during the last election and to see the South-East’s political frustrations as legitimate.
The PDP has faced internal turmoil since its 2023 election loss to President Bola Tinubu. Following the removal of its national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, the party has been led in an acting capacity by Ambassador Umar Damagum, whose tenure has sparked a power struggle within the North Central zone over a substantive replacement. Meanwhile, the National Secretary role is also embroiled in legal contention between Samuel Anyanwu and Sunday Ude-Okoye.
Sowunmi described the party’s crisis and growing defections to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as self-inflicted. He criticized the PDP’s inability to creatively reposition itself as a viable opposition force.
“There is a level of activity that you can blame your bullies for, but there is a certain level of recurring, continuous lack of creativity that you have to hold yourself responsible for,” he said.
He also warned his party against underestimating President Tinubu, describing the APC leader as intellectually sharp despite perceived frailty.
“He will look frail, but his brain is that of a giant. Most times, people underestimate him to their own peril. The painful thing is that my own side is choosing to pretend that it is an easy material to defeat in politics. What do they know that he doesn’t know?” Sowunmi queried.
What you should know
Peter Obi, a former PDP member and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, is being courted by some PDP voices like Segun Sowunmi, who believe his return could revive the opposition party, now battling internal leadership disputes and declining influence.
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