Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has formally withdrawn his membership from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), citing a divergence between the party’s current direction and its founding principles.
In a resignation letter addressed to the PDP ward chairman in Jada, Jada Local Government Area of Adamawa State, Atiku described the decision as deeply personal and regrettable.
“As a founding father of this esteemed party, it is indeed heartbreaking for me to make this decision,” he wrote.
“However, I find it necessary to part ways due to the current trajectory the party has taken, which I believe diverges from the foundational principles we stood for.”
Reflecting on his long association with the PDP, Atiku expressed gratitude for the opportunities the party had offered him.
“Serving two full terms as Vice President of Nigeria and being a presidential candidate twice has been one of the most significant chapters of my life,” he noted.
“It is with a heavy heart that I resign, recognising the irreconcilable differences that have emerged. I wish the party and its leadership all the best in the future.”
Atiku’s resignation comes shortly after a coalition of prominent opposition figures adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as a common platform ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Key members of this coalition include former Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi; 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi; former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai; and ex-APC Chairman, John Oyegun.
Other notable figures in the group are former governors Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Uche Secondus (former PDP National Chairman), Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Sam Egwu (Ebonyi), Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto), and Liyel Imoke (Cross River), among others.
Atiku’s latest move marks the fourth time he has left the PDP since Nigeria’s return to democratic rule in 1999.
He first departed in 2006, when he joined the Action Congress (AC) to pursue his presidential ambition, having fallen out with then-President Olusegun Obasanjo. Although he contested the 2007 presidential election under the AC, he was unsuccessful.
In 2009, Atiku returned to the PDP but lost the party’s presidential primary to then-President Goodluck Jonathan ahead of the 2011 elections. He left again in 2014 to join the newly formed All Progressives Congress (APC), where he contested the presidential ticket but was defeated by Muhammadu Buhari.
He rejoined the PDP in 2017 and went on to secure the party’s presidential ticket for both the 2019 and 2023 elections, losing to President Buhari and President Bola Tinubu, respectively.
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