Politics
Backlash Trails Atiku’s Third Exit From PDP
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s latest defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has deepened internal divisions within the opposition party, sparking a wave of criticisms, political calculations, and questions over the PDP’s stability ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Atiku formally resigned from the PDP on Sunday, July 14, in a letter addressed to the party chairman in his Jada Ward 1, Adamawa State, citing “irreconcilable differences” and deviation from the founding principles of the party.
His resignation marks the third time he has exited the PDP since its inception.
READ ALSO: Atiku Abubakar Dumps PDP, Floats New Coalition Party
“It is with a heavy heart that I resign, recognising the irreconcilable differences that have emerged,” Atiku stated. “The current trajectory of the party diverges from the foundational principles we stood for.”
Backlash from Party Leaders, Ministers
Reactions to the defection have been swift and varied. Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde dismissed Atiku’s exit as inconsequential, asserting that the former vice president had become a weight on the party.
“The PDP is an institution,” Makinde said. “You have the freedom to enter and exit. But I think anyone who would hold the PDP down—it’s better for such an individual to leave.”
Makinde, who spoke during the 10th Coronation Colloquium of the Deji of Akure, Oba Aladetoyinbo Ogunlade Aladelusi, insisted that the PDP remains strong and unshaken.
However, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo (SAN), criticized the timing of the resignation, accusing Atiku of political insensitivity.
Keyamo noted that Atiku’s move came during a seven-day national mourning declared by the Federal Government following the death of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
“It is within your constitutional right to change parties,” Keyamo wrote via X (formerly Twitter).
“However, releasing your resignation letter during the mourning of our immediate past president is a clear attempt to draw attention to yourself.”
Keyamo also condemned Atiku’s use of the Nigerian Coat of Arms on his private political communications, calling it illegal and morally wrong.
“Section 6 of the Flag and Coat of Arms Act, Cap. F30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, makes this an offence,” he added. “It borders on impersonation.”
Tension in Adamawa and PDP’s Power Base
In Atiku’s home state of Adamawa, PDP chairman Ahmed Shehu insisted that the former VP’s exit would not significantly affect the party’s structure.
“The former Vice President is a great asset, but our party remains formidable,” Shehu said. “The PDP in Jada Ward 1 remains intact. If any mass exit occurred, we would have been officially notified.”
However, Umar Bello Jada, a political associate of Atiku, argued otherwise, insisting the PDP is “already dead” in Adamawa South and predicted more defections would follow.
“The PDP is a dead party—killed by its own leaders,” Jada declared.
Rising ADC and New Political Calculations
Atiku has now pitched his tent with the African Democratic Congress (ADC), where he is expected to seek the presidential ticket for the 2027 election.
The ADC, which had remained relatively quiet on the national scene, is now experiencing a resurgence, bolstered by the arrival of Atiku and his allies.
Atiku’s defection was followed by a wave of high-profile resignations from the PDP. Joining the ADC alongside him are Mark, Senator Tunde Ogbeha, Chief Tom Ikimi, Senator Dino Melaye, and Bolaji Abdullahi, who now serves as ADC’s interim publicity secretary.
Professor Tunde Olusunle, a PDP chieftain and former presidential aide, described the ADC’s rise as a political “tsunami” that could eclipse the Labour Party’s 2023 momentum.
“The ADC is blossoming into a nationwide tsunami,” Olusunle said. “What it brings to Nigeria’s political landscape is massive and may render the PDP ineffective as an opposition force.”
APC Reacts: “A Desperate Move”
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has also weighed in. In a strongly worded statement, Lagos APC spokesperson Seye Oladejo described Atiku’s defection as a “predictable act of desperation.”
“Atiku’s continuous political nomadism is emblematic of a man driven not by principles or ideology, but by unrelenting personal ambition,” Oladejo stated.
He further asserted that the ADC posed no threat to the APC, which remains focused on governance, economic reforms, and electoral dominance ahead of 2027.
“Whether Atiku is in PDP, ADC, or any other alphabet party, Nigerians are wiser,” Oladejo said. “APC remains the only party with a proven track record of transformative governance.”
Atiku’s exit has once again thrown the PDP into a state of soul-searching. Although its leaders continue to present a united front, analysts believe the party faces existential challenges, especially in light of mounting defections, factionalism, and failure to present a cohesive opposition strategy.
With Atiku’s departure and the rise of the ADC, the battle for 2027 is already heating up long before official campaigns begin.
Whether the PDP can survive this fresh political storm remains uncertain.
Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in the 2027 election, has hit back at his former running mate, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, insisting that he has the experience and capacity to improve Nigeria.
Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, said his record in the state demonstrated what he could achieve at the national level if elected president.
Baba-Ahmed, who was Obi’s running mate on the Labour Party ticket in the 2023 presidential election, had recently said that none of the politicians challenging President Bola Tinubu in 2027, including Obi, could improve the country.
SEE MORE: 2027: ‘Nobody Owns Rivers Votes’ — ADC Fires Back at Wike
However, speaking in an interview previewed by Arise Television on Monday, Obi rejected the assessment, saying, “I passed through Anambra State, and I improved the state in critical areas of development. And I can do the same thing in Nigeria.”
The former Anambra governor said his administration would prioritise good governance, reduce waste and tackle corruption if given the opportunity to lead the country.
“I am sure that if given the opportunity, first I will bring civility and order in governance, and I will be able to cut costs of governance, which is irresponsible today. I will be able to do quite a number of things that will bring honour and respect to the country,” Obi said.
He also outlined some of the measures he intends to pursue, including fighting corruption, reducing waste, strengthening law and order and ensuring credible elections.
“I will fight corruption; I will deal with issues of waste, law and order, and rigging won’t take place under my watch; political parties will function, and things will be done properly,” he said.
According to Obi, national unity and security would also be among his major priorities, alongside investments in healthcare and education and efforts to reduce poverty.
“I will focus on our priorities to unite the country, as it’s not united today, and secure the country. Secondly, secure the country.
Thirdly, to ensure we prioritise critical areas of development, like health, education and pulling people out of poverty,” Obi added.
Datti’s Position
Baba-Ahmed made his comments during an interview on the Mic On Podcast hosted by Seun Okinbaloye and posted on Saturday.
“I will simply advise Uncle (Tinubu) to please prepare to hand over and move away, but not to the people contesting against him because none of them will improve Nigeria,” he said.
When asked whether he was referring to all
the opposition candidates, Baba-Ahmed replied, “Tinubu should leave the stage. All those people contesting against him, too—they were all in bed together at some point or another.”
Asked specifically whether he was referring to Peter Obi, Baba-Ahmed said, “Including Peter Obi, I’m sorry to say.”
The Rivers State chapter of the African Democratic Congress has hit back at Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, over his prediction that ADC vice-presidential candidate Rotimi Amaechi would be defeated in the 2027 election.
The ADC warned that elections are not won through boasting, intimidation or political declarations, stressing that the people of Rivers State would ultimately determine who wins at the polls.
The state chairman of the party, Chukwudi Dimkpa, made the remarks in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Monday.
SEE MORE: ‘It’s a Lie’ — Wike’s Aide Debunks Peter Obi’s ‘No Shishi’ Claim
Dimkpa was reacting to comments reportedly made by Wike during a civic reception organised in his honour by the Ikwerre Local Government Area in Omagwa on Saturday.
Wike had reportedly stated that Amaechi would be defeated by 12 noon on election day.
But Dimkpa dismissed the declaration, insisting that the former Rivers State governor’s political fate would be determined by voters and the electoral process.
“Elections are not won by boasts, intimidation or political strongmen announcing results in advance. Rivers people will vote, the votes will be counted, and INEC, not Wike, will declare the winner,” he said.
The ADC chairman also condemned the decision to hold the political reception around the same period Amaechi was burying his mother, Dame Ezinne Amaechi, in Ubima.
According to him, Wike and the Chairman of Ikwerre Local Government Area, Charles Wobodo, used the occasion to attack and taunt Amaechi while sympathisers from across the country were travelling to the community for the burial.
Dimkpa described the development as “insensitive, provocative and embarrassing.”
He questioned why Wike’s political rivalry with Amaechi could not be put aside, even temporarily, during the burial.
“If Wike could not suspend his political obsession with Amaechi even for the few hours in which the man was laying his mother to rest, then Rivers people should ask themselves who really is consumed by this rivalry,” he stated.
The ADC chairman said his party had deliberately refrained from responding immediately because its focus was on ensuring that Amaechi’s mother received a befitting burial.
He, however, warned that no individual or political leader should assume ownership of Rivers State or its electorate.
“Rivers State belongs to all of us. Nobody owns the people, nobody owns their votes, and certainly, nobody can declare an election result by 12 noon,” Dimkpa said.
He urged Rivers voters to reject intimidation and make their choice based on the candidate they believe can deliver meaningful development and improve their lives.
The Peoples Democratic Party in Ebonyi State has called on Governor Francis Nwifuru to apologise to residents or resign over his recent comments concerning the 2027 general elections.
The PDP Publicity Secretary in the state, Darlington Peter-Onwe, made the demand during a live radio programme on Friday, describing the governor’s remarks as capable of stoking political violence ahead of the elections.
Peter-Onwe was reacting to Nwifuru’s directive to newly sworn-in local government chairmen to ensure that the All Progressives Congress wins their respective councils in the 2027 elections or risk being removed from office.
SEE MORE: 2027: Massive Turnout as Adebutu, Iyabo Obasanjo Kick Off PDP Campaign in Ogun
“The Governor should apologise to Ebonyians or resign. He should retract the statement or step down because he has violated the fundamental objectives and directive principles of state policy,” Peter-Onwe stated.
“Section 14 of the Constitution explicitly provides that the primary responsibility of government is the protection of lives and property. By making such statements, he is now the one insinuating violence.”
The PDP’s reaction followed comments made by Nwifuru during the swearing-in ceremony of newly elected local government chairmen and their deputies in Abakaliki on Tuesday.
While dismissing allegations of harassment and intimidation of political critics by APC members and supporters, the governor warned opposition politicians that they would “see real threats at the right time.”
Nwifuru also charged the council chairmen to ensure that the opposition does not win their respective local government areas in 2027.
“You must not allow the opposition to win in your respective local government councils during the 2027 general elections,” the governor told the chairmen.
“Any chairman who fails to win his council will be removed from office.
“We will use your councillor and remove you.
“If you allow anybody to come to your Local Government council and mess up, deal with that person mercilessly.”
The governor further said he deliberately made the remarks publicly because politicians do not speak in secret.
“I want this information to make the headlines because, as politicians, we do not speak in secret,” he said.
Reacting further, Peter-Onwe compared Nwifuru’s approach with that of Abia State Governor Alex Otti, whom he described as an example of leadership accountability.
“Look at what Governor Alex Otti did when there was a disruption in the education sector. He came out openly and apologised, admitting that it shouldn’t have happened.
That is the true strength of a leader,” he added.
The PDP spokesperson also alleged that the governor’s comments had contributed to hostility against opposition members and media practitioners in the state.
The development comes amid growing political activities and preparations ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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