Atiku’s Resignation Letter was Leaked, not Released — Media Aide Paul I’ve

Paul Ibe, the Media Adviser to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has said that the letter announcing Atiku’s resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was never intended for public release but was leaked by political opponents.

Speaking during an interview with newsmen on Wednesday, Ibe addressed the backlash trailing the timing of Atiku’s resignation, which coincided with the nation’s mourning of former President Muhammadu Buhari, who was buried on Tuesday.

“We’re here because people who never wished His Excellency Atiku Abubakar well leaked a communication of his. Yes, it was leaked,” Ibe said, alleging that forces within the PDP, working in collaboration with members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), orchestrated the disclosure.

He criticised the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, for publicly commenting on the matter, accusing him of neglecting his responsibilities in the aviation sector.

“It’s unfortunate that the Minister of Aviation, who rather should be concerned with serious issues of aviation matters—and there are plenty of them, like runways and better infrastructure—jumped into this fray as though knowing what caused an accident even before investigation,” Ibe stated.

According to him, the controversy over the leaked letter is a distraction from a period meant for national reflection following the death of former President Buhari.

“Those who claim to know why he resigned, are they clairvoyants? I would rather say we speak on something else and not this particular issue, considering the fact that the nation is still in mourning and the memories of the late President, Muhammadu Buhari, who was just interred yesterday, are still fresh,” he said.

Atiku Abubakar’s resignation was contained in a letter dated July 14, 2025, addressed to his ward chairman in Jada 1, Adamawa State. In the letter, which was later circulated by his media office on X, Atiku cited “irreconcilable differences” and expressed disillusionment with the PDP’s current direction, which he said had deviated from its founding ideals.