Former Kaduna State Governor, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, has officially stepped down from his position as Secretary of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party.
Makarfi, in a resignation letter dated November 17, 2025, addressed to BoT Chairman Senator Adolphus Wabara, cited zoning considerations and the emergence of a new National Chairman from his geopolitical zone as his reasons for stepping aside.
His decision followed the election of former Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Kabiru Turaki, as the new PDP National Chairman at the party’s 2025 national convention in Ibadan.
According to Makarfi, his stance is rooted in the belief that the BoT Secretary and National Chairman should not come from the same zone. With Turaki emerging from the North-West—the same region Makarfi represents—he said it had become necessary to vacate the office.
“You may recall that about two months ago, I tendered my resignation on the BoT WhatsApp platform,” he wrote, noting that Wabara persuaded him to remain in office until after the national convention.
He added that stepping down now was the right thing to do in the interest of fairness and balance within the party’s leadership structure.
“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.
Makarfi thanked the BoT chairman and members for their support and cordial working relationship throughout his tenure.
Makarfi served as Governor of Kaduna State from 1999 to 2007 and has held several key roles within the PDP over the years.
