Prominent figures within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), including Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and former Deputy National Chairman Chief Bode George, have dismissed concerns that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s resignation would harm the party’s prospects in the 2027 general elections.
Atiku, a founding member of the PDP, formally announced his departure from the party in a letter dated July 14, 2025, citing irreconcilable differences and the party’s deviation from its founding principles.
“It is indeed heart-breaking for me to make this decision,” he wrote. “I find it necessary to part ways due to the current trajectory the party has taken.”
This marks the third time Atiku has left the PDP. He previously defected in 2007 to contest the presidency under the defunct Action Congress (AC), and again in 2014 when he joined other PDP leaders to form the All Progressives Congress (APC). He returned ahead of the 2019 elections and became the PDP’s presidential candidate in 2019 and 2023.
PDP: Focus Should Be on Hunger, Not Defections
In a swift response, a senior member of the PDP’s National Working Committee (NWC) said Atiku’s exit is “nothing new” and urged Nigerians to focus on the nation’s worsening economic conditions.
“Atiku’s departure from the PDP is nothing new. Hasn’t he left this party before? Did anything fundamentally change?” the party official said. “Meanwhile, people are suffering from hunger, yet the media isn’t prioritising that issue.”
Attempts to reach the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, were unsuccessful.
Makinde: PDP Is Bigger Than One Individual
Speaking at an event in Akure, Governor Makinde downplayed the impact of Atiku’s resignation.
“Politics is a game of interest. I don’t think that will make any dent on PDP as a party,” he said. “The Peoples Democratic Party is an institution… anyone that will hold PDP down, it is better for such an individual to quit.”
Makinde also brushed aside concerns about the growing influence of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), which Atiku is reportedly aligning with. “I don’t see ADC as a threat to PDP. The goal is about the same,” he said.
Bode George: Atiku’s Resignation Confirms Selfishness
Chief Bode George was more direct in his criticism, accusing Atiku of acting in self-interest.
“He is more bothered about what he stands to gain than what Nigerians stand to benefit,” George said. “My advice to him, as a friend and an older brother, is that he should retire home and rest.”
He added, “What else does he want to offer Nigerians? He has benefited by becoming number two in this country. It is because he wants to be President that he left the PDP.”
Atiku’s exit and potential alignment with the ADC, coming just days after media mogul Dele Momodu also left the PDP, suggest early realignments ahead of the 2027 election, but the PDP leadership insists it remains unshaken.
