PDP Not Concerned by Atiku’s Exit, Says ‘We’re Expecting Him Back’

ABUJA — The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has downplayed the recent resignation of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, with the party’s acting national chairman, Umar Damagum, stating that the party is accustomed to his exits and expects him to return.
Atiku, a long-time member and presidential candidate of the PDP, formally resigned on July 14, citing “irreconcilable differences” and claiming the party had strayed from its founding ideals.
Speaking to journalists in Bauchi on Friday, Damagum described Abubakar’s departure as a “strategic political decision,” rather than a permanent break.
“This is not the first time. We are expecting him back,” Damagum said, alluding to Abubakar’s history of leaving and rejoining the party.
A founding member of the PDP, Abubakar has left the party on three previous occasions since 1999, often driven by his presidential ambitions.
He first left in 2006 to join the Action Congress (AC) to contest the 2007 presidential election, before returning to the PDP in 2009.
He defected again in 2014 to the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2015 presidential primary, returning to the PDP in 2017 where he secured the party’s presidential ticket in the 2019 and 2023 elections.
While Abubakar has not formally announced his next political affiliation, he is reportedly a key figure in a coalition of opposition politicians who have adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as their platform for the 2027 general elections.
By Samuel Akpan