L-R: Deputy President of the Senate Senator Barau I Jibrin welcomes the son of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Abba, to the APC. With them is the North East Zonal Vice Chairman of the APC, Comrade Mustapha Salihu (Photo credit: DSP Media Office)
In a move widely seen as politically symbolic and potentially destabilising for the opposition, Abubakar Atiku Abubakar, the son of former Vice President and 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), while declaring his commitment to the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027.
The defection, which played out publicly at the National Assembly on Thursday, represents one of the most striking cross-party endorsements ahead of the next election cycle, as the son of Nigeria’s most prominent opposition figure aligns himself with his father’s fiercest political rival.
Popularly known as Abba, the younger Atiku formally announced his resignation from the PDP and declared his loyalty to the APC at an event hosted by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, alongside APC leaders from the North-East.
“My name is Abubakar Atiku Abubakar, but everyone calls me Abba,” he said. “I am here today to formally announce my exit from my former party, where we worked in 2023, and my decision to join the APC.”
He attributed his decision to what he described as the leadership style of Senator Barau and the direction of the Tinubu administration.
“Today, I’m here to formally announce my exit from my former party to the APC following the outstanding leadership style and quality of His Excellency, the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau I. Jibrin,” he said.
In a statement with far-reaching political implications, Abba pledged to actively campaign for President Tinubu’s second term, a declaration that effectively places him on the opposite side of his father’s long-standing political ambition.
“With this development, I will work with Senator Barau to actualise the second-term bid of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, come 2027,” he declared. “To this effect, I’m directing all coordinators of my association to join the APC and work for President Tinubu.”
He further announced the dissolution of his political platform, formerly known as the Haske Atiku Organisation, and its full integration into the APC structure.
Responding, party leaders noted the political weight of the move, with APC National Vice Chairman (North-East), Comrade Mustapha Salihu, describing the defection as both symbolic and strategic.
“Today is one of my happiest days,” Salihu said. “We are looking beyond old social and political cleavages. This young man has seen the policies and programmes of the Tinubu administration and decided to align with them.”
Salihu stressed that the APC was driven by ideology rather than personal legacy, assuring Abba of full rights within the party. “The APC is a progressive party. Everyone here is equal,” he added.
Welcoming the defector, Senator Jibrin framed the decision as a conscious ideological shift rather than a family rupture.
“You have taken a decision based on ideology,” Barau said. “You didn’t come here because of your father. You came because you believe in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, his ideology and the Renewed Hope Agenda.”
Barau revealed that Abba, who had been following Nigeria’s political developments from the United States, was persuaded by the Tinubu administration’s reforms. “He is young, focused and determined to contribute to shaping the future of our country. This is the kind of youth Nigeria needs,” the Deputy Senate President said.
A presidential aide, Alhaji Mahmoud Abdullahi, reinforced the message of political reconciliation, suggesting that Abba’s move symbolised a broader realignment. “Just like Atiku, Tinubu is also your father,” Abdullahi said. “Your decision is like returning home. You and your coordinators have a future in this party.”
On behalf of Abba’s supporters, Kano State Coordinator of the group, Hon. Mubarak Musa, said their political machinery would now be deployed fully for the APC. “We have worked round the clock for our former platform. We will double our efforts and deliver for the APC in 2027,” Musa said, describing Senator Barau as their “political father and a pillar of the party in the North.”
The Haske Atiku Organisation was thereafter renamed the Haske Bola Tinubu Organisation, a move that publicly sealed the political divorce from the Atiku Abubakar political legacy and signalled total alignment with the Tinubu project.