Former Governor of Abia State, Senator Theodore Ahamefule Orji, has formally resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party after over a decade in the party.
9news Nigeria reports that Orji’s resignation was contained in a letter addressed to the PDP chairman of Umuahia Ward 1 and made public on Saturday.
The former governor, who served two terms as Abia governor from 2007 to 2015, was first elected on the platform of the Progressive Peoples Alliance.
He later dumped the PPA in 2011 following a prolonged disagreement with his predecessor, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu, before pitching his tent with the PDP.
He went on to represent Abia Central in the 8th and 9th Senate, completing eight years on the platform of the PDP.
Orji’s resignation comes months after the wave of defections that hit the PDP in Abia in 2024. His son, Rt. Hon. Chinedum Orji, a former Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC). His wife also left the PDP earlier.
In his resignation letter, the former governor said the move followed consultations with close relatives and political associates.
He wrote, “I write to formally tender my resignation from membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) effective immediately. This decision has been taken after wide consultations with family and associates.”
Orji added that he valued the platform the party had given him over the years.
“I appreciate the opportunities and experiences gained during my time as a member of the party. Please accept this letter as a formal notice of my withdrawal from the party,” he said.
