Atiku Reacts as Son  Joins APC

Atiku Reacts as Son  Joins APC

Abubakar Atiku Abubakar, son of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), openly declaring support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.

The younger Atiku, popularly known as Abba, was formally received into the APC on Thursday at the National Assembly by the Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin, alongside other party leaders from the North-east geopolitical zone.

Announcing his defection, Abba said he had decided to part ways with his former party, where he was actively involved during the 2023 general elections.

“My name is Abubakar Atiku Abubakar, but everyone calls me Abba. 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 said.

He attributed his decision to what he described as the leadership qualities of the Deputy Senate President, noting that Senator Barau’s style had inspired his move to the ruling party.

“Today, I am joining the APC following the outstanding leadership style and quality of His Excellency, the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau I. Jibrin,” he added.

Abba further pledged to work for President Tinubu’s second-term ambition, directing members of his political group, formerly known as the Haske Atiku Organisation, to immediately align with the APC and support the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

“With this development, I will work with Senator Barau to actualise the second-term bid of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. To this effect, I am directing all coordinators of my association to join the APC and work for President Tinubu,” he said.

The development is politically significant, given that Atiku Abubakar was the PDP’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, where he finished second, and is now associated with the African Democratic Congress (ADC), a platform being positioned by opposition leaders to challenge President Tinubu in 2027.

Welcoming Abba into the party, the APC National Vice Chairman (North-east), Mustapha Salihu, described the defection as a sign of political maturity and bridge-building across old divides.

“Today is one of my happiest days. 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 said, assuring him of equal rights and privileges within the party.

Similarly, Senator Barau Jibrin described the defection as ideologically driven, insisting it had nothing to do with family ties.

“You have made a decision based on ideology. 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 said, adding that Abba represents the kind of focused youth Nigeria needs.

Reacting to his son’s defection, Atiku Abubakar said the move was purely a personal decision and not unusual in a democratic setting.

“The decision of my son, Abba Abubakar, to join the APC is entirely personal. In a democracy, such choices are neither unusual nor alarming, even when family and politics intersect,” Atiku said in a statement posted on his X handle.

The former vice president stressed that he does not interfere in the political choices of his children or any Nigerian.

“As a democrat, I do not coerce my own children in matters of conscience, and I certainly will not coerce Nigerians,” he said.

However, Atiku maintained his criticism of the ruling party, citing what he described as poor governance and worsening economic conditions under the APC-led administration.

“What truly concerns me is the poor governance of the APC and the severe economic and social hardships it has imposed on our people,” he added, pledging to continue working with “like-minded patriots” to offer Nigerians an alternative in 2027.