2027: ATIKU'S EXIT, A FREEDOM FOR PDP - GOVERNOR SEYI MAKINDE

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo state has described the exit of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as a “freedom” for the party, saying it is better than being held back by internal obstacles.

Alhaji Atiku, who was the PDP’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, resigned from the party in a letter dated July 14, 2025, addressed to the PDP chairman of Jada 1 Ward in Jada Local Government Area of Adamawa State. In the letter, he said the PDP had strayed from its founding vision, and which prompted his decision to leave as painful.

Reacting to the development during the 10th Coronation Anniversary Colloquium of the Deji of Akure, Oba Aladetoyinbo Ogunlade Aladelusi, held in Akure, Governor Makinde said Atiku’s resignation does not affect the PDP’s strength or prospects.

Politics is a game of interest, and I don’t think Atiku’s exit will make any damage on the PDP. The PDP is an institution,” Makinde said. “Politics is free entry and free exit like a business. But I think it's better for someone to leave than to continue holding the party down"

He dismissed concerns over the rising popularity of the ADC, saying it poses no threat to the PDP. “I don’t see ADC as a threat to the existence of PDP. It is a normal occurrence for a dissatisfied people to seek a refuge in another platform" the Governor noted.

The Governor concluded by emphasizing that political players come and go, but the nation and its institutions will endure: “Presidents will come and go, but our country and our states will remain.”