Gauteng DA leader John Moodey has resigned from the party.
Moodey announced the move at a press conference on Wednesday morning.
He was one of the three contestants vying for the position of party leader together with KwaZulu-Natal MPL Mbali Ntuli and interim leader John Steenhuisen.
His sudden resignation comes amid tensions in the party, with Moodey taking aim at chairperson of the Federal Council, Helen Zille, over her tweets.
Moodey said he no longer felt at home in the DA.
He said he could no longer stay on to fight the charges he is facing for having defended former leader Mmusi Maimane.