Atiku, David Mark, and Top PDP Leaders Break Away to Form Coalition Aimed at Challenging Tinubu’s Leadership in Nigeria

By: Chioma Madonna Ndukwu

Several key figures from Nigeria’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Senate President David Mark, and ex-Governor Sule Lamido, have reportedly left the party, setting the stage for a new political alliance. This move comes as part of a strategic effort to challenge the leadership of President Bola Tinubu and his All Progressives Congress (APC) administration.

In a statement issued after a high-stakes meeting of the PDP’s Concerned Leaders in Abuja on Tuesday, the influential group, which also included former Governors Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto), Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Liyel Imoke (Cross River), and Sam Egwu (Ebonyi), voiced deep dissatisfaction with both the APC government and the direction of the PDP. The leaders criticized the APC for what they described as “deceptive promises” that have ultimately left the nation struggling with economic challenges and deteriorating public welfare.

The departing leaders lamented that the PDP has been reduced to a mere shadow of its former self, crippled by internal divisions and an influx of defections. As a result, they have called for a united front, urging PDP members and other Nigerians to rally behind their newly-formed coalition, with the aim of holding the current administration accountable and ultimately restoring Nigeria’s political stability.