Abba Abubakar, son of former VP Atiku Abubakar, has dumped the PDP for the APC, vowing to mobilise his political structure for President Tinubu’s second term in 2027. He was formally received by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin in Abuja
Atiku’s Son Abba Shocks PDP: Defects to APC, Renames Group to Back Tinubu in 2027
In a major political earthquake, Abba Abubakar, son of former Vice President and 2023 PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, has officially defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The dramatic switch was announced on Thursday, January 15, 2026, at the National Assembly in Abuja, where Abba was warmly received by Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, and top APC leaders from the North-East zone. Party chieftains hailed the move as a game-changing realignment with massive implications for the 2027 presidential race.
Popularly known simply as “Abba,” the younger Abubakar formally resigned his PDP membership and pledged unwavering loyalty to the APC. He described his decision as both historic and deeply personal, while directing all coordinators and members of his political platform—the Haske Atiku Organisation, which he founded in 2022—to immediately migrate to the APC and begin mobilising nationwide support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
“My name is Abubakar Atiku Abubakar, but everyone calls me Abba,” he said. “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.
“I am taking this step 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 closely with him to actualise the second-term bid of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu come 2027.”
Welcoming Abba into the fold, APC National Vice Chairman (North-East), Mustapha Salihu, called the defection symbolic and transformative, signalling a new era of “politics without borders.”
“Today is one of my happiest days,” Salihu said. “We are looking beyond old social and political cleavages. This young man has seen the policies and programmes of the Tinubu administration and has decided to align with them.”
He assured Abba of full party rights and equal opportunities, stressing that the APC is guided by ideology and policy rather than personal ambition.
Senator Barau Jibrin congratulated Abba for making what he described as a “bold, wise and principled decision,” rooted in conviction rather than family ties.
“You made this decision based on ideology,” Barau said. “You didn’t come because of your father. You came because you believe in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, his ideology and the Renewed Hope Agenda.”
The Deputy Senate President revealed that Abba, who had been closely following Nigeria’s political landscape from the United States, was deeply impressed by President Tinubu’s reforms and outreach efforts—prompting his return home and eventual crossover.
“He is young, focused and determined to contribute to shaping the future of our country. This is the kind of youth Nigeria needs,” Barau added.
Presidential aide Alhaji Mahmoud Abdullahi welcomed Abba on behalf of the President, assuring him of Tinubu’s full acceptance.
“Just like Atiku, Tinubu is also your father,” Abdullahi said. “Your decision is like returning home. You and your coordinators have a future in this party.”
Speaking for the defecting group, Kano State coordinator Hon. Mubarak Musa described the move as strategic and promised intensified efforts ahead of 2027.
“We have worked tirelessly for our former platform. We will now double our efforts and deliver for the APC,” Musa said, referring to Senator Barau as their political father and a pillar of the party in the North.
The ceremony reached its climax when Abba’s political organisation was formally renamed from the Haske Atiku Organisation to the Haske Bola Tinubu Organisation—cementing his total shift in allegiance and unequivocal endorsement of President Tinubu’s second-term ambition in 2027.
The defection is already sending shockwaves through Nigeria’s political landscape, especially within PDP circles, as the ruling APC gains a high-profile youth mobiliser from a prominent northern political family.
