Ibrahim Abdullahi, the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), stated that the party is working on strategies to bring Peter Obi back into the party.

He referred to the former Anambra State governor as someone shaped by the PDP and said he holds significant value for any political organization.

He pointed out that despite alleged rigging and manipulation during the 2023 elections, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate still secured over six million votes.

Peter Obi, who was once the PDP’s vice presidential candidate, left the party for the Labour Party ahead of the 2023 general election.

He secured the Labour Party’s presidential ticket and ran against Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Atiku Abubakar of the PDP.

Obi emerged victorious in twelve states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, but placed third behind Atiku and eventual winner Tinubu, according to the final results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Speaking during an appearance on Arise News on Thursday night, Abdullahi noted that the PDP is making efforts to welcome Obi back into its ranks.

“Peter Obi is our product, and the PDP indeed wants to get him back. He is a very great capital for any political party, and any political party that will have him will be to their advantage,” he said.

“The truth of the matter is if he had not gone the way he did in the last dispensation and proved that mettle to generate over six million in spite of the rigging and frustration of his chances in many of the states. Peter Obi is truly a political capital no doubt about it,” he added.

Recently, Peter Obi said he remains a Labour Party member but intends to collaborate with a new Coalition formed under the African Democratic Congress.

Meanwhile, Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President and the PDP’s presidential candidate in the last two elections, has left the party.

Atiku is among several political figures forming a coalition aimed at unseating the current president in the 2027 elections through the ballot box.

US President Donald Trump has been confirmed to have a long-term but non-serious vein condition, according to the White House on Thursday, following public concern over his noticeably bruised hand and swollen legs.

At 79, Trump was diagnosed with “chronic venous insufficiency” after he “noted mild swelling in his lower legs” over the past few weeks, as stated by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

Leavitt explained that the visible bruising on Trump’s right hand was due to “frequent handshaking” and his use of aspirin as part of a “standard cardiovascular prevention regimen.”

Trump became the oldest person ever to take office as US president when he began his second term in January, succeeding Democrat Joe Biden, who was 82 when he left the presidency.

The Republican leader often highlights his stamina and fitness, frequently golfing, and the administration recently shared an image portraying him as Superman.

In April, Trump said that after a routine check-up, he was in “very good shape.”

Leavitt’s comments came amid online speculation about Trump’s swollen ankles, particularly noticeable during the recent FIFA Club World Cup final in New Jersey, and his bruised hand.

She said Trump requested that she share a statement from his doctor about the condition “in the effort of transparency.”

According to Leavitt, he underwent “a comprehensive examination” and ultrasound scans, which diagnosed chronic venous insufficiency, a common and non-serious condition often found in individuals over 70.

This condition is caused by leg veins that can no longer effectively keep blood moving as they should.

“Importantly, there was no evidence of deep vein thrombosis or arterial disease,” she added.

Medical evaluations revealed that Trump had a “normal cardiac structure and function, no signs of heart failure, renal impairment or systemic illness,” Leavitt, 27, noted.

On the bruising, she explained, “This is a well-known and benign side effect of aspirin therapy. And the president remains in excellent health.”

The White House had previously downplayed concerns over Trump’s hand bruising, attributing it to handshakes.

The health of American presidents has always been a major topic of public interest, and with the two oldest presidents ever holding office in recent years, the focus has only increased.

Meanwhile, Trump’s administration has recently intensified claims that Biden’s presidency concealed evidence of his physical and mental decline.

Biden’s health was a central topic during the 2024 campaign, which he ended after a poor debate showing against Trump.

House Republicans have issued subpoenas to Biden aides, including his doctor, as part of an inquiry into Biden’s mental fitness.

Trump has claimed, without proof, that Biden’s use of an “autopen” to authorize official documents like pardons indicated he was unfit for office. The autopen — a mechanical tool used to replicate signatures — has long been utilized by US presidents and other high-ranking officials.

Biden was diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer in May. He has rejected concerns about his mental sharpness while in office and said he believed he would have secured a second term.

Ibrahim Gambari, who served as chief of staff to the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, has confirmed that Buhari relied on a “cabal.”

He clarified, however, that this was not unique to Buhari’s time in office.

Gambari made the remark during a preview of an interview with Laolu Akande, the former spokesperson to ex-Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, set to air on Friday.

Concerns over cabals in Nigerian presidencies have been long-standing, especially regarding the influence of unelected individuals on major governance and policy decisions.

These tight-knit and often discreet groups are known to influence appointments, key policies, and decisions — at times, more than formal institutions or the elected leader.

Gambari admitted that Buhari had his own small inner circle.

“I would address it honestly, and I want to and on record,” he said.

“They say there’s a cabal or was a cabal — there was, but every government has cabal. It is what they call them.

Some call it ‘kitchen cabinet’, some may call it ‘think tank’. Obasanjo had a group of people, the Aboyades of this world and others, and a small group of people.

It is the nature of the office of president that they must have some people in and out of government that they can lay their hair down, talk to freely.

So, some have more powers than others, but every government, I make it bold say, has a cabal of one kind of or whatever name it is called.”

Back in 2018, Buhari’s wife Aisha raised concerns over a few individuals allegedly wielding significant power in her husband’s administration at the expense of Nigerians.

Buhari, however, downplayed her warnings.

More recently, Solomon Dalung, a former minister, claimed that the group of insiders around President Bola Tinubu is far more dangerous, ambitious, and refined than the “clique that cocooned” Buhari.

Dalung, who served as Buhari’s youth and sports minister from 2015 to 2019, said that while Buhari’s cabal was less educated and inexperienced in politics and governance, Tinubu’s allies are “sophisticated, ambitious, and educated, with sound knowledge of power dynamics.”

He described the Tinubu cabal as the most dangerous in Nigeria’s political history.