PDP Derides Atiku’s Defection as Inconsequential, Blames Him for Serial Loses
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has reacted with scorn to the resignation of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, dismissing his departure as inconsequential and blaming him for the party’s loss in the 2023 presidential election.
Speaking in an exclusive interview on Thursday, PDP Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Ibrahim Abdullahi described Atiku’s exit as “good riddance to bad rubbish,” emphasizing that the party is unbothered by the departure of one of its founding members.
Atiku formally resigned from the PDP on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, in a letter addressed to the chairman of his Jada 1 Ward in Adamawa State.
The former presidential candidate cited a departure from the party’s founding ideals as the reason for his decision.
In the letter, Atiku wrote, “It is with a heavy heart that I resign, recognising the irreconcilable differences that have emerged… 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.”
Atiku, who had previously contested the presidency under the PDP in both 2019 and 2023 — losing to former President Muhammadu Buhari and incumbent President Bola Tinubu respectively — is widely speculated to be aligning with a coalition led by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in preparation for the 2027 elections.
However, the PDP leadership has been swift to discredit his political relevance and past contributions. Abdullahi criticized Atiku’s role in the 2023 elections, alleging that his lack of strategic leadership and inability to unite the party cost the PDP the presidency.
“He could have mobilised the party faithful and galvanised the desired support from all quarters to win that 2023 election for PDP and for Nigeria,” Abdullahi said. “But we saw the exit of Peter Obi. We saw the exit of Kwankwaso. We saw the exit of five governors led by Nyesom Wike. If all of that did not count as negligence on the part of the presidential flag bearer, I don’t know what other adjective you will use to describe the act.”
He also recounted Atiku’s long history of political defection, pointing out that this is the fourth time he has left the PDP.
“He left in 2006, again after the 2011 primaries, in 2014, and now in 2025,” he stated. “Clearly, he is not indispensable. We even had a sitting president tear up his PDP membership card, but the party survived. PDP is not built around individuals — it is an institution.”
Abdullahi dismissed Atiku’s rumoured plans for a fresh presidential run under the ADC-led coalition, describing the alliance as “dead on arrival” due to conflicting ambitions within its ranks.
“He knows that winning the PDP ticket three consecutive times is a tall order,” Abdullahi said. “So now he is seeking alternatives, but PDP is not losing sleep over his departure. Let it be known: we wish him well, but his leaving changes nothing for us.”
The PDP, which has been Nigeria’s longest-standing political party since the advent of the Fourth Republic, insisted it remains strong and focused on rebuilding ahead of 2027.
“We are 27 years strong and counting,” Abdullahi added. “Anyone who feels they want to leave, we wish them a safe journey. More often than not, they come back. The PDP endures.”
