- Obi left PDP ahead of the 2023 primaries, later contesting under Labour Party and finishing third in the presidential race.
- Mark said Obi’s popularity since 2023 makes him attractive, but stressed PDP is also a formidable political brand in itself.
A former national legal adviser of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Jacob Mark, has insisted that Peter Obi should seek to rejoin the PDP if he desires, rather than expecting the party to lobby him.
Mark said this during an interview on Arise News on Thursday, stressing that the PDP remains Nigeria’s most organised opposition platform with structures across all states, local governments and wards.
He argued that unlike parties that exist mainly around their national executives, the PDP has presence in every tier of the country.
The former legal adviser described the party as a “political machine” that any ambitious politician should consider aligning with.
Obi, who governed Anambra State from 2006 to 2014, left the PDP in the build-up to the 2023 polls after it became clear he would not secure the party’s ticket.
He later ran on the platform of the Labour Party, finishing third behind the PDP and APC candidates in the presidential race.
Mark said the PDP had not made any collective decision to invite Obi back, though he acknowledged that Obi has become an appealing political figure since the last election.
“I do not believe Peter Obi was denied the opportunity in 2023,” Mark explained.
“He left before the primaries to pursue his ambition elsewhere. That was his choice, and it should be respected.”
The PDP chieftain noted that Obi’s emergence as a strong political brand after 2023 makes him desirable to any party, but maintained that the PDP itself is also a brand.
He stressed that bringing both brands together might be politically effective, but warned that the party has not made Obi’s candidacy a priority.
“If he decides to come, he will be accepted like any returning member,” he added. “But it is not the agenda of the PDP to go and beg anyone.”
Mark emphasised that the immediate task before the PDP is rebuilding itself as a credible opposition, resolving internal disputes, and reinforcing its national spread.
He explained that politicians who truly want to win should take advantage of the PDP’s nationwide machinery, instead of expecting the party to chase after them.
According to him, several former members, including two ex-governors who previously defected, had recently returned and were warmly received.
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