A former National Legal Advisor of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Jacob Mark, has said the party never denied former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi its presidential ticket.
Mark said Obi left the PDP for the Labour Party, LP, before the 2022 presidential primaries.
This comes as former PDP’s acting National Chairman, Ali Modu Sheriff claimed that Obi would likely return to the PDP any moment.
Corroborating Sheriff’s disclosure, a close ally of Obi, Katchy Ononuju, said the former LP presidential candidate would return to PDP because the party has agreed to zone its presidential ticket to the South.
However, Mark expressed reservations over claims that the PDP is ready to hand its presidential ticket to Obi.
In an interview with Arise Television on Thursday, Mark said: “I’m not sure anyone denied Peter Obi the ticket when he was interested in 2023, he left before the primary of the PDP to join LP so he was not denied. He had the right of choice and he elected to go to the Labour Party.
“While so many people are of the opinion that he may come back to the PDP, I think the decision is entirely his and I’m not sure that the PDP as a party has sat down to say that he should come back and take the ticket of the party. These are generally personal opinions that are built on cogent reasons.
“There is no doubt that Peter Obi following his showing in 2023 is a brand that any political party will like to hold, same way, there is no doubt that PDP has been a brand.
“So if two brands come together, it’s easy to predict the result but I don’t think that we have gotten there yet where the PDP has taken the decision that it must be Peter Obi.
“He’s a very fine brand that many people believe in him and are following him but if he comes to PDP he could be a good sell, so if there is a candidate anywhere who is sellable, it won’t be wrong for any political party to woo the candidate to fly its ticket.”
PDP never denied Peter Obi presidential ticket – Party’s ex-Legal Adviser, Jacob Mark
