By: peace udugba- The daily torch media
Abba Abubakar, son of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has 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 bid in 2027.
The defection was announced on Thursday at the National Assembly, Abuja, where Abba was formally received into the APC by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, alongside key party leaders from the North-East.
Speaking at the event, Abba described his decision to leave the PDP as both historic and personal, noting that it was informed by the leadership style and policy direction of the Tinubu administration.
“My name is Abubakar Atiku Abubakar, popularly known as Abba. I am here today to formally announce my exit from my former party, where we worked during the 2023 elections, and my decision to join the APC,” he said.
Abba said his decision was influenced by the leadership qualities of Senator Barau Jibrin and President Tinubu, adding that he would work actively to support the President’s second-term bid.
“With this development, I will work closely with Senator Barau to actualise the second-term bid of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027. I am also directing all coordinators and members of my Haske Atiku Organisation to join the APC and work for the Renewed Hope Agenda,” he stated.
Welcoming him into the party, the APC National Vice Chairman (North-East), Mustapha Salihu, described the defection as symbolic and far-reaching, saying it represented a new phase of politics driven by shared ideals rather than old divisions.
“Today is one of my happiest days. We are witnessing politics without borders. This young man has studied the policies and programmes of the Tinubu administration and has chosen to align with them,” Salihu said, assuring Abba of equal rights and opportunities within the party.
In his remarks, Senator Barau congratulated Abba for what he described as a bold and principled decision, stressing that the move was based on ideology and conviction rather than family influence.
“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 disclosed that Abba, who had been following political developments from the United States, was impressed by the administration’s reforms and engagement with young people, which informed his return to Nigeria and decision to join the APC.
Also speaking, a presidential aide, Alhaji Mahmoud Abdullahi, assured Abba of President Tinubu’s support within the party, describing his defection as a return home.
“Just like Atiku, President Tinubu is also your father. You and your coordinators have a future in this party,” Abdullahi said.
On behalf of the defecting group, the Kano State coordinator of the organisation, Hon. Mubarak Musa, described the move as strategic, noting that all political activities of the group would now be coordinated through Senator Barau.
The event climaxed with the formal renaming of Abba’s political structure from the Haske Atiku Organisation to the Haske Bola Tinubu Organisation, signalling a complete political realignment and an open endorsement of President Tinubu’s second-term bid ahead of the 2027 general elections.
