The political base of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has suffered a huge loss following the resignation of Umar Jada, popularly known as ‘Calculate’, from the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
A strong ally of Atiku, he was the Assistant National Publicity Secretary and North-East Publicity Secretary of ADC.
The former chieftain of the ADC, in a resignation letter dated December 1, 2025, and made available to journalists on Tuesday, said he “took the painful decision in order to refocus my attention on other critical life commitments.
“I write to formally tender my resignation as the assistant national publicity secretary and zonal publicity secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), effective immediately.”
He explained that the “decision is based purely on personal grounds after careful reflection on my current commitments, responsibilities and the direction I must now take at this stage of my life.”
“Stepping down,” he said, “is a difficult but necessary choice I made to allow myself to attend to pressing personal matters that require my full attention.”
He expressed gratitude, saying, “I remain deeply grateful for the trust and support extended to me throughout my period of service,” which he said was “an honour to contribute to the growth, visibility and strengthening of our great party.”
He stressed that he cherished the experiences, the teamwork and the ideals “ we collectively uphold in our pursuit of a better and more democratic Nigeria”.
“Please be assured of my continued respect for the party’s leadership and my unwavering goodwill towards the ADC.
“I remain committed to supporting the party’s values and aspirations in whatever way my circumstances may allow in the future,” he said.
Jada’s resignation is being linked to the crisis in Abuja, where Atiku’s allies, including the state chairman, Shehu Yohanna, were blocked from attending the National Working Committee meeting in Abuja on Monday.
Supporters of former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, have been fingered and accused of allegedly preventing Atiku’s group from participating in the meeting.
Recall that Atiku formally registered as a card-carrying member of the ADC in his hometown, Jada, last week.
But in a shocking development, one of the chieftains of the ADC and a strong ally of the former Vice President, Babachir Lawal, who is the North-East Vice Chairman of the party, was absent at the ceremony.
Lawal blamed the former Vice President, who, he said, “shifted the goalpost in the middle of the game for his absence.
“Poor planning by the former vice president is responsible for my not attending the ceremony. We agreed on Sunday for the event, and I arrived in Yola for the ceremony, only for Atiku to shift the event to Monday,” he had told journalists.
He explained that, “I have my personal things to handle, I have schedules for my activities, so you cannot just change the gear while the car is in motion and expect me to be part of such a programme.
“I told Atiku Abubakar that my absence at the ceremony would give different interpretations to many people concerning our new party, but he gave a deaf ear to my advice. Let them go ahead and do their things with his people,” he had said.