By Atoyebi Nike
Former Vice President and 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has officially resigned from the opposition party, citing deep internal crises and a divergence from its founding ideals.
In a letter dated July 14, 2025, addressed to his ward chairman in Jada 1, Adamawa State, Atiku described the decision as painful but necessary, given what he termed “irreconcilable differences.” He also confirmed his alignment with the emerging Alliance Democratic Congress (ADC), a coalition platform taking shape ahead of the 2027 elections.
The resignation letter, shared by his Special Assistant on Media, Abdul Rasheeth, read in part: “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… but the party’s trajectory no longer aligns with the founding principles we once shared.”
The move comes days after Atiku’s media adviser, Paul Ibe, had denied defection rumours, calling them a smear campaign driven by political mischief. Ibe had reaffirmed Atiku’s loyalty to the PDP, dismissing online claims of his exit as “fake news.”
