The acting National Chairperson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Umar Damagum, has described former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s resignation from the party as a familiar and recurring development in its history.
Atiku, the PDP presidential candidate in the 2019 and 2023 elections, resigned from the party on Wednesday, citing its departure from the founding principles.
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In a letter dated 14 July 14 and addressed to the chairman of the PDP in his Jada 1 Ward, Jada Local Government Area of Adamawa State, Atiku said his resignation was with immediate effect.
“I find it necessary to part ways due to the current trajectory the Party has taken, which I believe diverges from the foundational principles we stood for,” he wrote. “It is with a heavy heart that I resign, recognising the irreconcilable differences that have emerged,” he said.
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Atiku and other opposition leaders had floated a coalition to challenge President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027. The group has since dissolved into the African Democratic Congress (ADC), one of Nigeria’s 18 political parties.
It was the third time the former vice president would leave the party he helped to found in 1998.
Speaking with journalists on Friday in Bauchi, Mr Damagum said Atiku’s exit from the PDP is not strange, adding that the party is expecting him back.
“This is not the first time; we’re expecting him back,” he said.
According to him, PDP is neither shocked nor overly concerned about Atiku’s exit, adding that the party was already accustomed to his repeated exits and returns over the years.
READ ALSO: Atiku’s exit will not make any dent on PDP- Makinde
The acting national chairperson stated that the former vice-president’s movement aligned with a historical pattern, implying that the party viewed his latest resignation as part of his political strategy rather than a final break from PDP.
Mr Damagum further hinted that the party’s calm response stemmed from its confidence in its resilience or scepticism over the permanence of Atiku’s decision.
He said this was sequel to reports that he was forming a new political platform, Alliance for Democratic Congress, in preparation for future elections.
(NAN)
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