Abba Abubakar, son of former Vice President and 2023 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has defected from the PDP to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), pledging to work towards the re-election of President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
The defection was formally announced on Thursday at the National Assembly complex in Abuja, where Abba, popularly known as “Abba”, was received by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin. He was welcomed alongside other senior APC leaders from the North-East geopolitical zone in what party officials described as a significant political realignment.
Addressing party leaders and supporters at the event, Abba announced his resignation from the PDP and his decision to join the APC, describing the move as historic and deeply personal. He also declared his support for the APC’s presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu. He said his defection was motivated by his admiration for Senator Barau’s leadership style and the policies of the Tinubu administration.
Abba also directed all coordinators and members of his political structure, formerly known as the Haske Atiku Organisation, which he founded in 2022, to immediately defect to the APC and mobilise support 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.
“With this development, I will work with Senator Barau to actualise the second-term bid of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu come 2027. To this effect, I am directing all coordinators of my association to join the APC and work for President Tinubu,” he added.
Welcoming him into the party, the APC National Vice Chairman (North-East), Mustapha Salihu, described the defection as symbolic and far-reaching, noting that it reflected a new phase of what he termed “politics without borders”.
“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. He assured Abba of equal rights and opportunities within the party, stressing that the APC was guided by ideology and policy direction rather than personal ambition.
In his remarks, Senator Barau congratulated Abba for what he described as a bold and principled decision. He said the defection was based on conviction rather than family ties.
“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. He added that Abba, who had been closely following Nigeria’s political developments from the United States, was impressed by the administration’s reforms, prompting his return and decision to join the APC.
Also speaking, a presidential aide, Alhaji Mahmoud Abdullahi, assured Abba of President Tinubu’s acceptance and support within the party, describing his move as a “return home”.
The event’s high point was the formal renaming of Abba’s political group from the Haske Atiku Organisation to the Haske Bola Tinubu Organisation, signalling a complete political realignment and open support for President Tinubu’s second-term bid ahead of 2027.
