The Peoples Democratic Party has reacted to the resignation of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, downplaying the move as nothing new and expressing confidence in his eventual return.
Speaking to journalists on Friday in Bauchi, the Acting National Chairman of the PDP, Ambassador Iliya Damagum, said the party is not shaken by Atiku’s latest departure.
“This is not the first time; we’re expecting him back,” Damagum stated, suggesting that Atiku’s exit fits a long-standing pattern.
He recalled that the former presidential candidate has left the party on several occasions only to return, typically ahead of major political contests.
Damagum described the move as a “strategic political decision,” not a permanent break from the PDP.
Atiku, who contested under the PDP platform in the 2019 and 2023 general elections, has a history of switching parties.
He left the PDP for the Action Congress in 2006, rejoined in 2009, moved to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2014, and returned once again to the PDP in 2017.
Now aligning himself with a new political coalition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku appears to be setting the stage for another presidential run ahead of the 2027 elections. Despite this, the PDP maintains it would not be surprised to see him return.
