Abubakar Atiku Abubakar, son of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has officially 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 in 2027.
The defection was announced on Thursday at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja, where he was formally received by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, alongside senior APC leaders from the North-East geopolitical zone.
Popularly known as Abba, Abubakar described his decision as both personal and historic, urging members of his political support group, the Haske Atiku Organisation, to follow him into the APC and align with 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 that he would work closely with Senator Barau to mobilise support for President Tinubu’s second-term ambition. “With this development, I will work with Senator Barau to actualise the re-election 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,” he stated.
Welcoming the defector, APC National Vice Chairman (North-East), Mustapha Salihu, described the move as symbolic and significant for the party. “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 praised Abubakar’s decision, noting that it was driven by conviction rather than family influence. “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,” the senator said.
The defection is expected to further reshape political alignments in the build-up to the 2027 general elections.