Amb. Iliya Damagum, the temporary National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has called former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s departure from the party a “familiar and recurring development in PDP’s political history.”
He said the PDP was already used to Atiku’s frequent departures and returns over the years and is neither surprised nor unduly alarmed by his departure.
Speaking with newsmen on Friday in Bauchi, Damagum said: “This is not the first time; we’re expecting him back.”
He said the PDP was already used to Atiku’s frequent departures and returns over the years and is neither surprised nor unduly alarmed by his departure.
Insinuating that the party saw the former vice president’s recent resignation as a component of his political strategy rather than a permanent split from the PDP, the acting national chairman said that the former vice president’s action followed a historical pattern.
Damagum also suggested that the party’s composed reaction was a result of either its faith in its own fortitude or its doubts about the long-term validity of Atiku’s choice.

He claimed that this followed rumours that he was creating the Alliance for Democratic Congress(ADC), a new political platform, in anticipation of upcoming elections.