Makarfi resigns as PDP BoT secretary

A former governor of Kaduna State, Ahmed Makarfi, has resigned as the secretary of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

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Mr Makarfi, who governed Kaduna State from 1999 to 2007, said he stepped down because the newly elected national chairman of the party and the secretary of the BoT are both from the North-west, the same geopolitical zone he hails from.

The former governor disclosed this in a letter addressed to the BoT Chairman, Adolphus Wabara, on Monday.

“You may recall that about two months ago, I had resigned as secretary of the board and posted the same on the board’s WhatsApp platform. Mr Chairman, you may recall that you personally urged me to stay on until after a convention that produced a chairman.”

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“The principal reason for my resignation then and now was, and is still, my belief that the national chairman of the party and the secretary should not come from the same geopolitical zone.

“Now that a chairman has emerged from the north-west, where I come from, it is necessary to give him full space to do the needful. Accordingly, I hereby formally resign as secretary of the board of trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party with effect from today, November 17, 2025,” the letter reads.

Mr Makarfi thanked the BoT leadership under Mr Wabara for the cordial working relationship enjoyed during his tenure.

“I truly appreciate the very respectful relationship between us during my period as secretary. I also appreciate all board members for their support and the good relationship that prevailed during my period as secretary.”

Kabiru Turaki, a former minister of special duties, was elected as the new national chairman of the PDP during the party’s national convention in Ibadan over the weekend. Mr Turaki hails from Kebbi State, also in the North-west.

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About three weeks earlier before the convention, some northern PDP leaders endorsed Mr Turaki, as their consensus candidate for the national chairmanship position.

At its 102nd NEC meeting held on 25 August in Abuja, the PDP resolved to retain the chairmanship position in the North. Umar Damagun, who served as national chairman before the convention, is from Yobe State in the North-east.

Mr Makarfi, a former senator, who has now stepped aside, also comes from the North-west region.