Atiku exit from PDP won’t dismantle party, says Adamawa chairman. PDP remains strong despite shock resignation and ongoing southern Adamawa defections

The Atiku exit from PDP has sparked intense political debate across Adamawa, but the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party insists the resignation will not dismantle the party.

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Ahmed Tijani Shehu, the PDP chairman in Adamawa State, addressed the media on Wednesday evening and admitted the resignation came as a surprise. However, he downplayed its impact, stating that the party remained strong, organised, and widely supported.

“The former Vice President is a great asset for sure, but our party itself is a formidable one with remarkable presence all across the country, so we remain one big winning force,” Shehu said.

Amid claims that PDP members in Atiku’s home base of Jada Local Government Area had left with him, Shehu said there had been no official communication to that effect.

“If the leaders and members of the PDP in that ward had gone out of the party with Atiku, they would have informed the party leadership at the state headquarters in Yola.”

Earlier in the day, Atiku’s resignation letter was made public, triggering mixed reactions across the political space. A loyalist of the former Vice President, Umar Bello Jada—popularly known as Calculate—declared that the PDP was “dead” and that Atiku had no choice but to leave it behind.

“What has happened is foretold, as the PDP is a dead party, killed by its very leaders who traded the party for what they could get for themselves,” he said.

Jada alleged that PDP no longer existed in Jada LGA, claiming the entire structure had moved with Atiku. He added that southern Adamawa PDP members were preparing to defect to the Africa Democratic Congress (ADC), which may serve as Atiku’s new political base.

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Despite these claims, the Adamawa PDP leadership remains confident that the party’s foundation is too strong to be shaken by a single defection.