The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) suffered another blow on Thursday as veteran journalist, Dele Momodu, and Edo governorship election campaign director general, Matthew Iduroiyekemwen, resigned, citing the party’s erosion of democratic values.
Their exit followed that of the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, on Monday, after the governors of Delta and Akwa Ibom states earlier left the party for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Momodu, who served as Director of Strategic Communications for Atiku’s 2023 presidential campaign, announced his immediate resignation in a July 17 letter to his ward chairman in Edo State. The move came just 24 hours after Atiku’s own departure from the opposition party was confirmed by his media team.
“Our party has been hijacked by anti-democratic forces in broad daylight,” Momodu wrote, describing the PDP as “a carcass” and announcing his move to the African Democratic Congress (ADC). “It’s honourable to abandon this carcass to them,” the letter read in part.
In a parallel development, Iduroiyekemwen – Director-General of the Asue/Ogie 2024 governorship campaign – resigned from the PDP, citing crises at both state and national levels.
In his resignation letter to Ikpoba-Okha Ward 5 officials, he stressed the decision followed “deep reflection” about the party’s deviation from its founding principles.
“The PDP no longer aligns with the vision of a democratic, inclusive party,” wrote Iduroiyekemwen, who said he would focus on family and business. His exit deals a significant blow to the party’s Edo campaign ahead of September’s gubernatorial election.
Similarly, a North West youth leader aspirant, Suleiman Aminu Raqasu has defected from the PDP to the ADC, citing the party’s internal crisis and dwindling prospects. Raqasu, a grassroots mobiliser from Kazaure, Jigawa State, said he consulted widely—including discussions with former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai and ex-VP Atiku Abubakar—before deciding. “The Boss has left the party, so it’s better for me to leave too,” he said, referencing Atiku’s recent exit.
The former PDP member emphasised his decision followed months of deliberation with supporters, advisers, and cross-party allies. “I gathered all perspectives before finalising my move to ADC,” Raqasu explained, framing the switch as necessary for survival. “My people depend on me, and I had to choose a platform with a future.”
Daily Trust reports that Atiku and El-Rufai have been championing a coalition of opposition leaders who recently adopted the ADC as the platform to challenge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections.
But the PDP said they are unbothered by the exit of those leaving the party to either join the ruling party or the ADC coalition.
