Former Vice President and 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has spoken publicly for the first time following the defection of his son, Abba Abubakar, to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Atiku described his son’s decision to leave the PDP as a personal choice, stressing that it has no bearing on his own political convictions.

Abba Abubakar, who has openly declared his support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, formally announced his defection on Thursday at the National Assembly complex in Abuja.

The younger Abubakar was received by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, alongside prominent APC leaders from the North-East, in what party officials described as a major political development.

While addressing party stakeholders at the event, Abba announced his resignation from the PDP and pledged his allegiance to the APC. He directed members of his political platform, the Haske Atiku Organisation, which he established in 2022, to immediately defect to the APC and mobilise support for President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

“My name is Abubakar Atiku Abubakar, popularly known as Abba,” he said. “I am here to formally announce my exit from my former party and my decision to join the APC. I will work with Senator Barau to ensure the success of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s second-term bid in 2027.”

Reacting via his verified X handle, Atiku emphasised that his son’s action was taken independently.

“The decision of my son, Abba Abubakar, to join the APC is entirely personal,” Atiku wrote. “In a democracy, such decisions are neither strange nor alarming, even when politics and family intersect.”

He added that he does not impose political views on his children or on Nigerians at large.

“As a democrat, I do not coerce my own children in matters of conscience, and I certainly will not coerce Nigerians,” he stated.

Atiku, however, reiterated his criticism of the ruling party, citing what he described as poor governance and worsening economic and social conditions under the APC.

“I remain committed to working with like-minded patriots to restore good governance and provide Nigerians with a credible alternative that offers relief, hope and progress,” he added.

Atiku Reacts as Son, Abba, Defects from PDP to APC

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