Atiku Abubakar 2023 election candidacy was a mistake, says PDP’s Abba Moro, as talks begin to woo Obi and Jonathan back for 2027
Atiku Abubakar 2023 election regret continues to echo within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as Senator Abba Moro publicly acknowledged the party’s misstep in fielding the former vice president in the last presidential race.
Also read: Atiku Abubakar 2027 Presidential Run: Vows to Upstage Status Quo in Stunning Comeback
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, the Senate Minority Leader didn’t mince words when he described Atiku’s candidacy as a major error that cost the PDP dearly in the 2023 polls.
“To lose a very monumental election in that disastrous manner is certainly in for regret,” Moro stated, referring to Atiku’s defeat by Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Atiku, who was the PDP’s presidential flagbearer, came second in the election, trailing behind Tinubu and ahead of Labour Party’s Peter Obi.
Since then, Atiku has parted ways with the PDP, with no formal announcement about a new political base.
With less than two years to the 2027 general elections, the PDP is reportedly reconsidering its strategy.
Senator Moro revealed ongoing high-level talks to persuade two influential figures—former President Goodluck Jonathan and former Anambra governor Peter Obi—to return to the party and potentially vie for the presidency.
“Some persons are talking to the former president to come and run. It is a possibility,” he said.
Moro also disclosed that Peter Obi, who was Atiku’s running mate in 2019 before decamping to the Labour Party in 2022, is being lobbied to “come back home.”
“Hey, come back home, this is what we are likely to do, and if you come, you stand a chance of being the candidate,” Moro added, echoing the ongoing discussions with Obi.
While Atiku Abubakar has maintained political silence post-2023, Peter Obi has been active in opposition politics, recently collaborating with Atiku and others under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition. However, his next political move remains unclear.
Also read: Atiku accuses Tinubu of using EFCC to target opposition
The PDP, once dominant in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic, is now charting a comeback strategy to reclaim national leadership, and the party appears willing to reshape its leadership choices—perhaps learning from past mistakes.
