By Miracle Ogunde
A prominent member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Eddy Olafeso, has emphasised the necessity of forging a broad alliance to challenge the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027, arguing that it would be difficult for a single party to unseat the ruling party.
Olafeso, who serves on the PDP’s reconciliation committee, stressed that the party must engage with Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, along with other opposition leaders, to form a coalition capable of defeating the APC in the next election.
Reflecting on the 2023 presidential election, he noted that a combined vote tally of Atiku Abubakar and Obi would have significantly weakened Bola Tinubu’s victory, lamenting the PDP leadership’s failure to maintain party unity ahead of the polls.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, Olafeso underscored the urgency of reaching out to Obi, stating that the PDP’s internal strife necessitates a broader coalition to stand a chance against the APC in 2027.
“Not only Peter Obi, every person that is somebody in this country that can actually garner one or two votes must be spoken with,” Olafeso said.
“It is not only here that you have alliances; you have people working together to be able to win an election.
“It happened in Ghana not quite a long time ago and that is exactly what we all should do at this moment, no single party can defeat APC alone, don’t let us delude ourselves. We must all come together to fight,” he added.
Olafeso criticised the PDP leadership for the party’s fragmentation before the 2023 election, which he believes contributed to its defeat.
Obi, who initially sought the PDP’s presidential ticket, left the party before its 2022 primaries to join the Labour Party. He eventually secured 6,101,533 votes, finishing third behind Tinubu, who won with 8,794,726 votes, and Atiku, who polled 6,984,520 votes.
The PDP remains embroiled in internal disputes, with Atiku and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, yet to mend their differences since their fallout following the party’s 2022 primaries.
Despite this, Olafeso expressed optimism that the division between the two leaders was not insurmountable, asserting that the PDP could still reconcile its factions and bring all key figures back into the fold.
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