Abubakar Atiku Abubakar also called Abba, son of former Vice President and 2023 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has defected from Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), pledging to work for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
The defection was announced on Thursday at the National Assembly, Abuja.
The younger Atiku was formally received by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, alongside key APC leaders from the North-East geopolitical zone, in what party leaders described as a significant political realignment.
Addressing party leaders and supporters, Abubakar announced his resignation from the PDP and declared his alignment with the APC, describing the move as historic and deeply personal.
He also directed all coordinators and members of his political structure, formerly known as the Haske Atiku Organisation, which he founded in 2022, to immediately join the APC and mobilise support for President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Abubakar said: “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.
“Today, I’m here to formally announce my exit from my former party to the APC following 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 come 2027. To this effect, I’m directing all coordinators of my association to join the APC and work for President Tinubu.”
Welcoming him into the party, the APC National Vice Chairman (North-East), Mustapha Salihu, described the defection as both symbolic and far-reaching, saying it reflected a new phase of “politics without borders.”
Salihu said: “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.”