Abubakar Atiku Abubakar, son of former Vice President and 2023 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has officially left the PDP for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Naija News reports that the defection of the younger Atiku, widely known as Abba, was announced on Thursday at the National Assembly.
According to Vanguard, Abba was received into the APC by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin (APC, Kano North), alongside other party leaders from the North-East geopolitical zone.
Explaining his decision, Abba said his move was driven by personal conviction and historical considerations.
He also instructed all coordinators and members of his political structure—formerly known as the Haske Atiku Organisation, established in 2022—to immediately defect to the APC and throw their support behind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
“My name is Abubakar Atiku Abubakar, but I am popularly called Abba. I am here today to officially announce my resignation from my former party, where we worked during the 2023 elections, and my decision to join the APC,” he stated.
Abba further commended the leadership style of Senator Barau Jibrin and praised the performance of the Tinubu administration.
“With this step, I will work closely with Senator Barau to ensure the actualisation of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s second-term ambition in 2027. Consequently, I am directing all coordinators of my organisation to join the APC and work for President Tinubu,” he added.
Welcoming him to the party, the APC National Vice Chairman (North-East), Comrade Mustapha Salihu, described the defection as symbolic and significant, saying it underscored the concept of “politics without borders.”
“Today is one of my happiest days. This young man has examined the policies and programmes of the Tinubu administration and chosen to align with them,” Salihu said, assuring Abba of equal rights and opportunities within the APC.
Senator Barau also congratulated Abba, describing the move as a major boost to the APC’s consolidation efforts ahead of the 2027 general elections. He characterised the decision as bold, thoughtful, and principled.
“You made this decision based on ideology. You did not come because of your father, but because you believe in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, his ideology, and the Renewed Hope Agenda,” Barau said.