Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar yesterday dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the third time, citing irreconcilable differences with the leadership.
Mixed reactions trailed Atiku’s new move by former colleagues and others, who faulted the timing and motivation for the defection.
The former Vice President said the party had deviated from the foundational principles which made it a formidable platform.
His exit was thumbed down by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, who said the party saw the back of a man holding it down.
The governor believes Atiku’s departure would not affect PDP’s electoral fortune.
But, one of his associates, Umar Bello Jada, who rationalised the defection, said Atiku left the party because it was no longer habitable for him.
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo (SAN), who chided Atiku for wrong timing and lack of sensitivity, said the defection happened during the seven-day mourning declared by the Federal Government in honour of the late President Muhammadu Buhari.
The PDP chairman in Adamawa State, where Atiku hails from, Ahmed Shehu, a lawyer, said the chapter would not miss the ex-vice president.
On Monday, Atiku’s new political platform – the African Democratic Congress (ADC) – announced the suspension of political activities nationwide.
In a statement by his media aide, Paul Mumeh, the party’s Interim National Chairman, David Mark, announced the immediate suspension of all political activities at both the national and state levels for the duration of the mourning period.
But Atiku resigned from the PDP yesterday.
It was the third time Atiku would call it quits with the party.
In 2007, as sitting Vice President to then President Olusegun Obasanjo, he left the PDP to contest for President on the ticket of the Action Congress (AC). He failed to win, only to return after the poll.
He defected to the newly formed All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2014 and challenged the late President Buhari for the party’s ticket, which he also failed to clinch.
He returned to the party in 2018 and contested for President on its ticket with Mr. Peter Obi, who defected from the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) as his running mate.
They were defeated by President Buhari.
He also contested on the party’s ticket in the 2023 election. He lost to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Yesterday, he dumped the party for the ADC, where he is seeking the ticket to contest for President in 2027.
Makinde, who spoke during the 10th Coronation Colloquium of the Deji of Akure, Oba Aladetoyinbo Ogunlade Aladelusi in Akure, Ondo State capital, said Atiku’s exit was not a dent on the PDP.
Makinde said Atiku merely exercised his freedom of association by leaving the PDP, adding that his membership of the party held the platform down.
He said: “Politics is a game of interest, and I don’t think that will make any dent on the PDP. The PDP is an institution.
“You have freedom of entrance and exit. But I think anyone who would hold PDP down, it is better for such an individual to just leave.”
Noting that the PDP would remain stronger and firm as a party, the governor said the ADC is not a threat to the opposition party.
He added: “I don’t see ADC as a threat to PDP. Players would come and go; governors would also come and go, the President would also come and go, but our country and state will remain.”
Why I left PDP, by Atiku
Atiku, in his resignation letter of July 14, 2025, addressed to the PDP Chairman in his Jada Ward1, Jada Local Government Area, said PDP had neglected the principles of the founding fathers.
The letter reads: “I am writing to formally resign my membership from the PDP with immediate effect.
“I would like to take this opportunity to express my profound gratitude for the opportunities I have been given by the party.
“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.
“As a founding father of this esteemed party, it is indeed heartbreaking for me to make this decision.
“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.
“It is with a heavy heart that I resign, recognising the irreconcilable differences that have emerged.”
Atiku’s departure from the PDP came amid tensions and power struggles within the party, particularly between him and key figures, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, and the PDP National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu.
Also, since PDP had shunned the coalition, reality had dawned on the Atiku camp in the PDP that the Wike/Anyanwu forces might scuttle his 2027 presidential bid in the party.
Ahead of the defection, Atiku’s supporters had resigned from the PDP and joined the ADC.
Prominent among them are former Senate President David Mark, who is the interim chairman of the party; Bolaji Abdullahi, interim publicity secretary; Chief Tom Ikimi, Senator Tunde Ogbeha, and Senator Dino Melaye
