Zoning 2027 Presidential Ticket to South Could Bring Obi Back to PDP – Tajudeen Yusuf

Tajudeen Yusuf, a former member of the House of Representatives and close ally of Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has called on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the South.

Yusuf made the appeal during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, emphasizing that such a move could restore unity within the party and potentially encourage Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to return to the PDP.

Yusuf’s remarks followed a meeting held Monday by Wike and other members of the G5 group, where they collectively advocated for the PDP to prioritize the South in its zoning arrangement for the 2027 general elections.

Warning of potential consequences if the party fails to act, Yusuf stated:

“No single politician can win an election without collective goodwill. Zone to the South and see what will happen, but if we continue this trajectory and continue to progress in error, we are postponing the doomsday.”

He further argued that if the PDP had zoned its 2023 ticket to the South, Peter Obi might have remained within the party, possibly as a vice-presidential candidate.

“If today, the PDP ticket is zoned to the South, I have a conviction Peter Obi will be more comfortable coming to PDP,” Yusuf added. “But if it’s not zoned and the dynamics and dialectics of primaries are allowed to play, he might not—just like he moved when it was not zoned.”

The call adds to ongoing internal debate within the PDP as the party positions itself for the 2027 general elections.