In a recent television interview, Professor Jerry Gana, an original architect of the Peoples Democratic Party, laid out his conviction that Peter Obi would triumph in northern Nigeria should he contest under the PDP again. Gana praised the northern electorate’s fairness and open-minded approach towards Obi.
“I’m a researcher, and I research opinions. In the northern states, Peter Obi under the PDP will defeat any candidate, because our people are very fair‑minded,” he remarked on Wednesday’s broadcast.
This optimism hinges on Obi’s potential reunion with the PDP after he left to champion the Labour Party in the 2023 elections. Gana further spoke to the PDP’s foundational ethos, noting its establishment as a grassroots party in 1998 that directly contributed to the landmark 1999 elections restoring Nigeria’s democracy.
“Many people have forgotten that the PDP was created as a grassroots organisation. In 1998, we were formed and then, moving to the elections in 1999, we were in every polling unit, because we are the ones who really won the first election,” he said, recalling how the party captured local governments, the presidency, and legislative seats.
Gana dismissed recent internal controversies as limited to a handful of political elites in Abuja.
He also signaled the PDP’s commitment to regional fairness in political power distribution, affirming, “In 2031, it will be the turn of the North. Our people are very fair, and we are building a nation.”