By Ibrahim Kegbegbe
Abuja —
Abba Abubakar Atiku, son of former Vice President and 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), pledging to mobilise support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid ahead of the 2027 general election.
Abba Atiku officially joined the APC on Thursday, January 15, 2026, in Abuja, where he was received by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, and the party’s National Vice Chairman (North East), Comrade Mustapha Salihu.
Shortly after his defection, Abba announced the rebranding of his political support group from Atiku Haske Organisation, which he founded in 2022, to Haske Bola Tinubu Organisation, signalling his full alignment with the Tinubu administration and its second-term ambition.
Political observers say the move is significant, given Atiku Abubakar’s long-standing role as one of the strongest opposition figures to the APC and President Tinubu’s main challenger in the 2023 presidential election.
Reacting swiftly to the development, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar made it clear that his son’s political decision does not reflect his own position or political ideology.
“The decision of my son, Abba Abubakar, to join the APC is entirely personal,” Atiku said in a statement on Thursday. “In a democracy, such choices are neither unusual nor alarming, even when family and politics intersect.”
The ADC chieftain emphasised that he respects individual freedom of conscience, including within his own family.
“As a democrat, I do not coerce my own children in matters of conscience, and I certainly will not coerce Nigerians,” he stated.
However, Atiku used the opportunity to sharply criticise the APC-led federal government, insisting that his opposition to the ruling party remains firm.
“What truly concerns me is the poor governance of the APC and the severe economic and social hardships it has imposed on our people,” the former Vice President said, referencing rising inflation, unemployment and widespread cost-of-living pressures across the country.
He reaffirmed his commitment to opposition politics, declaring that he would continue working towards a change in leadership.
“I remain resolute in working with like-minded patriots to restore good governance and offer Nigerians a credible alternative that brings relief, hope and progress,” Atiku added.
Abba Atiku’s defection adds to a growing list of political realignments ahead of the 2027 elections, as the APC intensifies efforts to consolidate support across the North, while the opposition seeks to regroup amid internal and external pressures.
READ ALSO:Abioro Mourns Aholu Menu Toyi I, Hails Late Akran as Moral Compass and Pillar of Badagry’s Heritage
The development underscores the complex intersections of family, loyalty and ideology in Nigeria’s evolving political landscape, where personal political choices increasingly cut across traditional party lines.
