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), declaring his support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
The defection was announced on Thursday at the National Assembly in Abuja, where he was formally received by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, alongside other APC leaders from the North-East.
Popularly known as Abba, he described his move as a personal and historic decision, urging members of his political structure, the Haske Atiku Organisation, to join him in the APC and work for President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
“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 added, “With this development, I will work with Senator Barau to actualise the second-term bid of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027. To this effect, I am directing all coordinators of my association to join the APC and work for President Tinubu.”
Welcoming him into the party, APC National Vice Chairman (North-East), Mustapha Salihu, described the defection as symbolic, noting that it reflected confidence in the Tinubu administration.
“Today is one of my happiest days. This young man has seen the policies and programmes of the Tinubu administration and decided to align with them,” Salihu said.
Senator Barau Jibrin also commended the decision, stressing that it was based on conviction rather than family ties.
“You have taken a decision based on ideology. You did not 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.
