Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president and the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) 2023 presidential contender, has spoken out against his son Abba Abubakar’s defection from the PDP to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Atiku called his son’s choice to join the ruling APC “entirely personal.”
Abba promised to support President Bola Tinubu’s reelection in 2027.
Yesterday, the National Assembly in Abuja confirmed the defection.
In what party leaders called a major political realignment, the younger Atiku, popularly known as “Abba,” was formally welcomed by Senator Barau Jibrin, the Deputy President of the Senate, together with important APC leaders from the North-East geographical zone.
Speaking to the gathering’s party leaders and supporters, Abubakar confirmed his affiliation with the APC and resigned from the PDP, calling the decision “historic and deeply personal.”
Additionally, he instructed all coordinators and members of his political organization—which he created in 2022 under the name Haske Atiku Organization—to join the APC right away in order to rally support for President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
“Everyone calls me Abba, but my name is Abubakar Atiku Abubakar,” he remarked. I’m here now to formally say that I’m leaving my previous party, where we worked in 2023, and that I’ve decided to join the APC.
I’m here today to formally say that I’m leaving my previous party and joining the APC in response to His Excellency, Senator Barau I. Jibrin, the Deputy President of the Senate, and his exceptional leadership style.
“With this development, I will collaborate with Senator Barau to make President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2027 second-term ambition a reality. In light of this, I’m ordering all of my association’s coordinators to join the APC and support President Tinubu.
In response, Atiku stated on his verified X page (previously Twitter): “My son Abba Abubakar’s decision to join the APC is entirely personal.”
Even when politics and family collide, such decisions are neither out of the ordinary nor concerning in a democracy.
“As a democrat, I would not force Nigerians to do anything against their will, and I do not force my own children to do anything against their conscience.
“The APC’s bad leadership and the extreme economic and social suffering it has caused our people are what really worry me.
“I’m still committed to collaborating with like-minded patriots to bring back good governance and provide Nigerians with a viable alternative that offers them relief, hope, and advancement.”
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