Atiku’s Resignation from PDP, A Day After Buhari’s Burial, is Most Unstatesmanlike
The measure of grief and national solemnity is restraint. In moments of collective mourning, particularly over the passing of a national icon, such restraint is not merely a virtue — it becomes a civic duty.
It is therefore both shocking and unbecoming that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar chose Monday, July 14, 2025, barely 24 hours after the burial of former President Muhammadu Buhari, to tender his resignation from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). The story, unsurprisingly, dominated headlines by Wednesday, July 16, casting a shadow of insensitivity over an already grieving nation.
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At a time when Nigerians — especially the northern political bloc to which both Buhari and Atiku belong — are still grappling with the loss of a former Head of State, military general, and two-time democratic leader, Atiku’s manoeuvre is not only ill-timed but a clear affront to national decorum.
As a Muslim, Atiku surely understands the gravity of the words, “Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un.” These are not empty condolences; they are a solemn call to humility before God, to respect the finality of life. As an elder statesman who once benefited from the political goodwill of Buhari’s northern base, cultural propriety demanded that he pause — if only briefly — before unveiling any personal or political ambition.
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Yet, what we have witnessed is a man who, rather than honour the dead, has chosen this moment to stage his calculated detachment from a party he helped fracture. While Nigerians remain cloaked in mourning, Atiku’s resignation sends a clear and unfortunate message: for him, politics will always take precedence over patriotism.
This singular act — unveiled with apparent strategic timing — raises troubling questions about Atiku’s motives. Despite claims that he returned to Nigeria to attend Buhari’s Janazah in Daura, it now appears his visit was less about national solidarity and more about executing a choreographed political manoeuvre. A betrayal cloaked in false piety.
One must ask: What does it profit a man to trample upon the fresh grave of a northern elder statesman simply to advance his next political experiment? Where is the decorum? Where is the empathy? Where is the leadership that this nation so desperately craves?
More than ever, this moment underscores the chasm between statesmanship and opportunism. A true statesman would have stood still, allowed the nation to breathe, mourned with his people, and respected at least seven days of collective grieving, in line with cultural and religious sensibilities.
Instead, Atiku Abubakar has chosen ambition over empathy, calculation over conscience. His actions reflect the kind of tone-deaf, self-serving politics that have held Nigeria hostage for too long.
The Nigerian people are watching. History is recorded. And in due course, the difference between those who truly mourned and those who schemed in the shadows will be clear for all to see.
Yusuf Galadima writes from Kano.
📧 yusufg@gmail.com