According to Josephine Anenih, a well-known member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and a former minister of women’s affairs, former vice president Atiku Abubakar essentially left the PDP following his loss in the 2023 presidential election.
Anenih expressed reservations about Atiku’s continued loyalty to the party during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday night, July 17. He said that Atiku had not attended PDP meetings and had been mainly absent from party activities since the election.
Her comments come in the wake of Atiku’s formal resignation from the PDP in a letter dated July 14, 2025, addressed to the Chairman of Jada 1 Ward in Jada Local Government Area of Adamawa State.
In the letter, Atiku cited “irreconcilable differences” and expressed disappointment with the current direction of the party, which he said no longer reflects its founding principles.
“If you ask me, I would say he didn’t leave yesterday — he left after the last election,” Anenih said. “Maybe he held a conference once, but that was it. He hasn’t attended any meetings. We’ve even reached out to him.”
She revealed that even the women of the PDP Board of Trustees had visited Atiku to express concern about the party’s lack of leadership.
“We told him the party was drifting and that we looked up to him as our ‘baba,’ our leader. We expected him to step forward, provide direction, and be at the forefront,” she added.
Despite Atiku’s departure, Anenih maintained that the PDP remains strong, emphasizing the party’s deep grassroots foundation and loyal members who are determined to sustain it.
“In 1998, we didn’t have all these big names. It was grassroots people like us who built the PDP and led it to victory,” she said. “As Chief Bode George said, anybody can go, anybody can come. But those of us who believe in the PDP will give our best.”
She concluded confidently: “The PDP can never die on our watch. Maybe when we’re gone, but not while we’re still here.”
