Veteran journalist and publisher, Dele Momodu, has announced his resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and aligned himself with the African Democratic Congress.
The ADC is the newly adopted platform of a coalition of opposition political leaders spearheaded by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
In a letter dated July 17, 2025, and addressed to the PDP Chairman of Ward 4, Ihievbe, Owan East Local Government Area in Edo State, Momodu expressed disappointment with the PDP which he claimed has been “hijacked by antidemocratic forces, from within and outside, in broad daylight.”
According to him, it is more honourable to abandon the “carcass of the party” and join the new coalition under the banner of the ADC.
His resignation comes barely days after Atiku formally severed ties with the PDP.
In a letter dated July 14, addressed to the PDP Chairman of Jada 1 Ward, Jada Local Government Area of Adamawa State, Atiku said his decision to quit the party was “heart-breaking.”
He cited irreconcilable differences and the party’s deviation from its founding ideals as the reasons for his exit.
“It is with a heavy heart that I resign, recognising the irreconcilable differences that have emerged,” he wrote.
The former vice president, who served two terms from 1999 to 2007 and was the PDP’s presidential candidate in 2019 and 2023, acknowledged the party’s role in his political journey but maintained that its current trajectory made continued association untenable.
Although Atiku has not formally joined the ADC, his recent moves, including the formation of the opposition coalition that has adopted the ADC as its political platform for the 2027 general elections, indicate he’s on his way to the ADC.
Meanwhile, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, in reaction to the developments, downplayed the implications of Atiku’s resignation.
He claimed the former VP’s departure would not cause any dent to the PDP.
Speaking to reporters at a colloquium marking the 10th Coronation Anniversary of the Deji of Akure, Makinde said, “PDP is an institution, and you have freedom of entrance and exit.”
He dismissed the ADC as a mere electoral party and not a threat to the PDP’s influence or relevance.
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) similarly asserted that Atiku’s resignation and potential move to the ADC poses no challenge to its political dominance.
In a statement issued by the party’s spokesman in Lagos, Seye Oladejo, the APC described Atiku’s actions as “a desperate, yet unsurprising, move reflecting a fractured opposition.”
Oladejo argued that Atiku’s political journey is marked more by personal ambition than principled ideology.
Oladejo added that the defection, alongside the alignment of other former PDP and Labour Party figures with the ADC, would not alter the 2027 electoral dynamics.
“Whether PDP, ADC or another, Nigerians remain politically aware and will not be swayed,” he said.
