Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar must have been forced by circumstances to leave the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, earlier than he planned, and on a date he was not ready to make the public announcement.
this is according to his spokesman, Paul Ibe who claimed that Atiku’s letter of resignation from PDP was leaked.
Atiku Abubakar had resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), citing irreconcilable differences and disappointment with the party’s current trajectory. His resignation was conveyed in a letter dated July 14, 2025, and addressed to the PDP ward chairman in Jada 1, Adamawa State.
The letter, which was made public amid controversy and backlash, stated that the PDP had strayed from its founding principles and no longer reflected the democratic values that initially attracted Atiku to the party.
“This decision, though difficult, has become necessary due to longstanding and irreconcilable differences that I believe have fundamentally eroded the values and ideals upon which the party was founded,” Atiku said in the letter.
However, his spokesperson, Paul Ibe, has clarified that the letter was not meant to be released at the time it surfaced. In an interview on Arise News Wednesday night, Ibe claimed the letter was leaked by individuals hostile to Atiku’s political ambitions.
“We’re here because people who never wished His Excellency Atiku Abubakar well leaked a communication of his. Yes, it was leaked,” Ibe said.
He accused unnamed PDP insiders and their allies in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of orchestrating the leak to stir political tension, especially during a period of national mourning for former President Muhammadu Buhari, who was buried on Tuesday.
Ibe also took a swipe at the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, for wading into the controversy instead of focusing on the nation’s aviation challenges.
“It’s unfortunate that the Minister of Aviation, who rather should be concerned with serious issues of aviation matters and there are plenty of them, like runways and better infrastructure, jumped into this fray,” Ibe stated.
Atiku, who served as Nigeria’s Vice President from 1999 to 2007, said in the letter that he remained grateful for the opportunities he had under the PDP but felt compelled to leave in the interest of integrity and accountability.
The serial Presidential candidate has come under severe criticisms for his frequent political ship-jumping, and so announcing his defection on a day the country was mourning the demise of Former President Muhammadu Buhari.
