Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) marks yet another chapter in a career defined as much by ambition as by movement across party lines.
With a letter dated July 14, 2025, Atiku formally ended his decades-long affiliation with the PDP, citing a divergence from the party’s founding ideals.
The resignation, addressed to the chairman of the PDP in his Jada 1 Ward, Adamawa State, comes as opposition forces prepare for a major realignment ahead of the 2027 elections.
“It is with a heavy heart that I resign, recognising the irreconcilable differences that have emerged,” the 77-year-old politician wrote.
Atiku’s latest exit continues a well-documented history of high-profile political defections that have seen him move between Nigeria’s major political parties, often at critical electoral junctions.
1999–2006: The PDP years begin
Atiku began his national political career with the PDP, where he was elected Adamawa State governor in 1999. Before he could take office, he was tapped by presidential candidate Olusegun Obasanjo as his running mate. Together, they won the presidency, and Atiku served two terms as Vice President until 2007.
2006: From PDP to Action Congress
Following a heated succession battle with Obasanjo, Atiku defected from the PDP in 2006 to join the Action Congress (AC), led by Bola Tinubu. He ran for president in 2007 under the AC banner but lost to PDP’s Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.
2009: Return to the PDP
By 2009, Atiku had fallen out with AC leaders and returned to the PDP, where he launched a failed bid to clinch the party’s 2011 presidential ticket, losing to incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan.
2014: Exit again, this time for APC
Ahead of the 2015 elections, Atiku again left the PDP, this time for the newly formed All Progressives Congress (APC), a merger of several opposition groups.8 He cited a lack of internal democracy in the PDP.
He contested the APC’s presidential primary but lost to former president Muhammadu Buhari (Now late), who won the national vote.
2017: Back to the PDP
In yet another reversal, Atiku left the APC in 2017, accusing the ruling party of failing to deliver on promises and marginalising founding members. He returned to the PDP and emerged as its presidential flagbearer for the 2019 elections, but lost to President Buhari.
2025: Defection to a new coalition
Atiku’s latest move follows mounting frustrations within the PDP after its loss to the APC in the 2023 general elections. Amid internal crises, zoning disputes, and strategic disagreements, he has now aligned with opposition leaders such as Peter Obi and David Mark under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) banner, with hopes of dislodging President Tinubu in 2027.
His letter of resignation struck a nostalgic tone, but also one of finality: “Serving two full terms as Vice President and being a presidential candidate twice has been one of the most significant chapters of my life,” he wrote. “However, the PDP no longer aligns with our founding principles.”
The former vice president’s record of defections is more of ambition and not based on party ideology. With yet another platform now backing his ambitions, Atiku is again ready for the new challenge.
(Guardian)
