A former Governor of Kaduna State, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, has formally resigned his position as Secretary of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party.
He cited zoning concerns and the emergence of a new National Chairman from his geopolitical zone as reasons.
A former Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Kabiru Turaki, was elected as the new PDP National Chairman over the weekend at the party’s 2025 national convention in Ibadan.
Makarfi’s resignation, dated November 17, 2025, was addressed to the BoT Chairman, Senator Adolphus Wabara, and delivered from his Kaduna residence.
Makarfi recalled that the development comes barely two months after he first attempted to quit the role through the PDP BoT WhatsApp platform—an action he said was temporarily suspended at the request of the BoT leadership.
“You may recall that about two months ago, I had resigned as Secretary of the Board and posted same on the Board’s WhatsApp platform,” Makarfi wrote in the letter made available to The PUNCH on Monday.
According to him, Wabara intervened at the time and asked him to stay on until the PDP concluded its national convention and produced a substantive National Chairman.
“Mr. Chairman, you may recall that you personally urged me to stay on until after a convention that produced a chairman,” he stated.
The former governor said his decision was guided by a long-held conviction that both the BoT Secretary and the National Chairman of the party should not originate from the same geopolitical zone.
With the new chairman emerging from the North-West, the same zone Makarfi hails from, he said it had become necessary to step aside.
“The principal reason for my resignation then and now was, and is still, my belief that the national chairman of the party and the secretary should not come from the same geopolitical zone
“Now that a chairman has emerged from the North West, where I come from, it is necessary to give him full space to do the needful,” he wrote.
He added that the decision was made in the interest of fairness and to avoid any perception of imbalance in the PDP’s leadership structure.
“Accordingly, I hereby formally resign as Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party with effect from today, November 17th, 2025,” the letter read.
Makarfi, who served as Kaduna State governor from 1999 to 2007 and has held multiple leadership roles within the PDP, thanked Wabara and other BoT members for what he described as a cordial working relationship throughout his tenure.
“I truly appreciate the very respectful relationship between us during my period as Secretary.
“I also appreciate all Board members for their support and good relationship that prevailed during my period as Secretary,” he added.
