Atiku’s son Abba defects to APC from PDP, pledges support for Tinubu’s re-election in 2027

Abba Abubakar, son of former Vice President and 2023 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has officially defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), declaring his full support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s second-term bid in 2027.

The defection was announced on Thursday at the National Assembly in Abuja, where Abba was formally received by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, alongside key APC leaders from the North-East geopolitical zone. Party leaders described the move as a major political realignment with national implications.

Popularly known as “Abba,” the younger Atiku announced his resignation from the PDP, describing his decision to join the APC as both historic and deeply personal. He also ordered members and coordinators of his political structure, formerly the Haske Atiku Organisation, 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,” he said. “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.

“This decision follows the outstanding leadership style and quality of His Excellency, the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau I. Jibrin. With this development, I will work with Senator Barau to actualise the second-term bid of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027.”

Welcoming him, the APC National Vice Chairman (North-East), Mustapha Salihu, described the defection as symbolic and far-reaching, noting that it marked a new phase of “politics without borders.”

“Today is one of my happiest days,” Salihu said. “This young man has seen the policies and programmes of the Tinubu administration and decided to align with them.”
Senator Barau, in his remarks, praised Abba’s decision as “bold, wise and principled,” stressing that it was driven by ideology rather than family ties.

“You didn’t come here because of your father,” Barau said. “You came because you believe in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, his ideology and the Renewed Hope Agenda.”

He revealed that Abba, who had been closely monitoring political developments from the United States, was impressed by the Tinubu administration’s reforms and outreach, prompting his return to Nigeria and eventual defection.

Also speaking, a presidential aide, Alhaji Mahmoud Abdullahi, assured Abba of President Tinubu’s acceptance and support within the APC.

“Just like Atiku, Tinubu is also your father. Your decision is like returning home,” Abdullahi said.
On behalf of the defecting group, Kano State coordinator Hon. Mubarak Musa described the move as strategic, pledging total commitment to delivering electoral victories for the APC in 2027.

The highlight of the event was the formal renaming of Abba’s political platform from the Haske Atiku Organisation to the Haske Bola Tinubu Organisation, symbolising a complete political realignment and an open declaration of support for President Tinubu’s re-election bid.