ABUJA, Nigeria — The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has admitted that its decision to field former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as presidential candidate in the 2023 election was a costly mistake, Senate Minority Leader Abba Moro said in a televised interview.
Moro described the move as a miscalculation that led to the party’s electoral defeat.
He revealed that the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) has now resolved to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the southern region in what he called a step rooted in “fairness, equity, and justice.”
“Zoning the ticket to the south was a strategic correction of past mistakes. To people who have been somewhat pessimistic about the resilience of the PDP, it could be shocking,” Moro said, adding that the party was working to rebuild trust and unity after internal divisions.
Reflecting on the 2023 election outcome, he conceded: “Majority of us, virtually all of us, agreed that a mistake was made in 2023, fielding a northern candidate. And this time around, in the spirit of unity, in the spirit of fairness and justice, PDP leaders decided to swallow their saliva and say, look, let’s take this thing to the south, where majority of the people expected that it would have been.”
He added, “To lose a very monumental election in that disastrous manner, as it were, certainly is something for regrets.”
Moro explained that the party’s decision to allow a northern candidate to succeed a northern president “backfired,” as Nigerians resisted the move.
The Senate Minority Leader also disclosed that discussions are underway to persuade former Anambra Governor Peter Obi to return to the PDP.
Obi, who left the party and ran as the Labour Party’s candidate in 2023, has remained a significant political force.
“In the run-up to 2027, I’m aware that certain individuals have been talking to Peter Obi, saying, hey, come back home,” Moro said.
“This is what we are likely going to do. And if you come, you stand a chance of being a candidate.”
He added that Obi’s return could strengthen the PDP’s prospects: “If Peter Obi comes back and is the most favoured candidate, the most supported candidate, and becomes a candidate, the PDP will make an impact in the 2027 election.”
Moro also addressed speculation about former President Goodluck Jonathan’s eligibility to run again. He dismissed constitutional concerns, pointing to judicial precedents.
“In 2015, when President Jonathan and GCFR wanted to run, there were hews and cries all over the place about the constitutionality of his candidature. But eventually, it was settled, even by the court, that he was qualified to run, and that is why he ran,” Moro said.
He argued that Jonathan’s prior tenure, including the period he completed following the death of President Umaru Yar’Adua, does not disqualify him from future contests.
