Former Vice President and 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has officially withdrawn his membership from the party.
Atiku revealed his involvement in forming a new coalition party, the Alliance Democratic Congress, signaling a significant political shift. He formalized his exit in a letter dated Monday, July 14, 2025, addressed to the PDP chairman of Jada 1 ward, Jada Local Government Area, Adamawa State.
The resignation marks the end of a decades-long affiliation with the PDP, a party Atiku helped shape and under whose platform he contested multiple presidential elections. His departure comes amid growing signs of political realignment among prominent opposition figures in Nigeria, aimed at building a united front against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Just three weeks prior to his resignation, Atiku was instrumental in establishing a new coalition under the banner of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). The alliance includes 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, and former Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai—three key political heavyweights from different ideological backgrounds and regions.
The coalition, seen as a strategic convergence of Nigeria’s fragmented opposition, is being framed as a response to what its members describe as the growing socio-economic challenges under the Tinubu-led administration. The group has publicly committed itself to unseating the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) government come 2027, promising a more people-centered governance agenda.
Although the PDP has not yet issued an official reaction to Atiku’s exit, internal party sources have expressed concern over the possible ripple effects his departure might have on the party’s unity and electoral prospects. Atiku, who has previously left and rejoined the PDP on several occasions, is now expected to lead the new political bloc with renewed ambition to contest again for the presidency.
Political observers note that this evolving coalition, uniting figures across Nigeria’s political spectrum, signals a major shift in the run-up to 2027 and could dramatically reshape the country’s political landscape.
What you should know
Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the PDP’s 2023 presidential candidate and former vice president, has resigned from the party. His exit follows the formation of a new political coalition under the African Democratic Congress alongside Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi, and Nasir el-Rufai, with the goal of defeating President Tinubu in the 2027 election.
