Ex-Abia Governor Orji Steps Down from PDP

Table of Contents

1. Resignation from PDP
2. Background of Theodore Orji
3. Recent Defections
4. Content of Resignation Letter

Former Abia State governor, Senator Theodore Orji, has officially resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

His resignation was communicated in a letter addressed to the PDP Chairman of Umuahia Ward 1 and released to the media on Saturday.

Orji, who served as governor from 2007 to 2015 and represented Abia Central in the eighth and ninth Senate, initially became governor under the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA). He later departed from the party in 2011 after a prolonged conflict with his predecessor, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu, and subsequently joined the PDP.

He completed his second term as governor on the PDP platform and later secured two terms in the Senate, also under the party.

The former governor’s departure comes amid a series of defections that have impacted the PDP in 2024. His son, former Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Chinedum Orji, had previously defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), while his wife also left the PDP months earlier.

In his resignation letter, Orji stated: “I write to formally submit my resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), effective immediately.

“This decision comes after extensive discussions with my family and close associates.

“I am thankful for the opportunities and experiences I gained during my time with the party. Please accept this letter as formal notification of my withdrawal from the PDP.”