Ex-PDP Spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, Resigns Amid Wave of Defections

The Peoples Democratic Party suffered yet another high-profile departure yesterday as its former National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, announced his resignation, capping what has been one of the most turbulent years in the party’s history.

Ologbondiyan made his exit public in a post on X, attaching a letter dated December 5, 2025, addressed to the Chairman of Okekoko Ward 09 in Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State, where he formally notified the party of his withdrawal.

In the letter, titled “Notification of Membership Withdrawal,” the former PDP spokesman said he had undertaken a personal review of his involvement in the party and arrived at the decision that it was time to leave. He cited personal reasons for his departure, writing that it had become “imperative” to end his membership. He also used the opportunity to thank the PDP leadership for the platform it had given him over the years, noting that serving the party and the country through its structures remained an honour.

Ologbondiyan’s resignation is the latest in a cascade of defections that has rattled the party throughout 2025, a year analysts say has tested the PDP’s resilience more than any other since its formation 27 years ago. Internal ruptures, bitter leadership contests, and shifting political alliances ahead of the 2027 general election have triggered exits across its national, state, and legislative ranks.

In a dramatic turn that stunned party loyalists, several PDP governors switched allegiance to the All Progressives Congress, including Osun’s Ademola Adeleke, Bayelsa’s Douye Diri, Enugu’s Peter Mbah, Delta’s Sheriff Oborevwori, and Akwa Ibom’s Umo Eno. Their reasons ranged from aligning with the federal government to deep dissatisfaction with the PDP’s national leadership.

The upheaval intensified in July when former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, long regarded as one of the party’s pillars, announced his resignation, accusing the PDP of straying from its founding principles. His move to the ADC coalition marked a symbolic blow to the opposition party. Notable figures like Dino Melaye and former Delta governor and 2023 vice-presidential candidate Ifeanyi Okowa also left, the latter defecting to the APC.

The tremors were equally felt in legislative chambers. Sixteen members of the Rivers State House of Assembly crossed to the APC amid a protracted political crisis in the state. Lawmakers in Kaduna, Niger, and Katsina followed suit, and Senator Ned Nwoko capped the year’s defections by announcing his own resignation before joining the ruling party.

Against this backdrop of shifting loyalties and strategic repositioning, Ologbondiyan’s departure adds one more thread to the unfolding story of Nigeria’s political realignment ahead of 2027. For the PDP, it is another reminder of the urgent need to restore cohesion within its ranks as the nation inches closer to a consequential election cycle.