L-R: Barau Jibrin, deputy senate president, receiving Abba Atiku Abubakar into APC, insert, Atiku Abubakar
By Victory Oghene
Former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, is in political dilemma as his son, Abbas joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) to mobilise support for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu.
Abubakar was received into the ruling party on Thursday evening in Abuja by Barau Jibrin, deputy senate president, and Mustafa Salihu, national vice-chairman of the APC in the north-east.
He also announced the renaming of his political group, originally established in 2022 as the Atiku Haske Organisation, to the Haske Bola Tinubu Organisation.
Abubakar directed all coordinators and members of his political structure to immediately join the APC and mobilise support for 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.
“Today, I’m here to formally announce my exit from my former party to the APC following the outstanding leadership style and quality of His Excellency, the deputy president of the senate, Senator Barau Jibrin.
“With this development, I will work with Senator Barau to actualise the second-term bid of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu come 2027.
“To this effect, I’m directing all coordinators of my association to join the APC and work for President Tinubu.”
While welcoming Abba into the party, the national vice-chairman of the APC in the north-east, described the defection as symbolic and far-reaching.
“Today is one of my happiest days; we are looking beyond old social and political cleavages,” he said.
“This young man has seen the policies and programmes of the Tinubu administration and decided to align with them.”
Salihu said the APC is driven by ideology and policy direction rather than personal ambition, assuring Abubakar of equal rights and opportunities within the party.
In his remarks, Barau congratulated Abubakar for what he described as a bold and principled decision.
“You have made a decision based on ideology; you didn’t come here because of your father,” the deputy senate president said.
“You came because you believe in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, his ideology and the renewed hope agenda.”
Barau said Abubakar, who had been following political developments from the United States, was impressed by the Tinubu administration’s reforms and outreach.
“He is young, focused, and determined to contribute to shaping the future of our country; this is the kind of youth Nigeria needs,” Barau said.
While reacting to the development, the former vice president said that his son, Abba Abubakar, joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) based on personal conviction and not due to any influence from him.
“The decision of my son, Abba Abubakar, to join the APC is entirely personal,” Abubakar wrote in a post on X. “In a democracy, such choices are neither unusual nor alarming, even when family and politics intersect.
“As a democrat, I do not coerce my own children in matters of conscience, and I certainly will not coerce Nigerians.”
Atiku, now a member of the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), said his concern remains the performance of the ruling party.
“What truly concerns me is the poor governance of the APC and the severe economic and social hardships it has imposed on our people,” he added.
“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.”
In a related development, the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has described the decision of Abba, son of Atiku Abubakar, to reject the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and align with the APC as a major blow to Atiku’s political credibility.
Lagos APC Spokesman, Seye Oladejo, made this known in a statement issued on Thursday titled, “You Can’t Trust Atiku More Than His Son,” reacting to the younger Atiku’s reported defection to the APC.
According to Oladejo, the party noted “with unmistakable clarity the political earthquake” occasioned by Abubakar Atiku Abubakar’s decision to abandon what he described as the “pretentious ADC contraption” and pitch his tent with the APC.
“This singular act has said more than a thousand press conferences ever could,” Oladejo said.
“When a man’s own son deserts his political judgment, repudiates his choices, and embraces an alternative path, Nigerians are entitled to ask what deeper indictment of credibility is required. If those closest to you are unconvinced by your political convictions, how do you expect an entire nation to suspend disbelief?”
Oladejo further accused Atiku Abubakar of decades of ideological inconsistency, describing his political career as “a restless odyssey defined by serial defections, transactional alliances, and an obsession with the Presidency.”
“From the PDP to the AC, back to the PDP, and now to the ADC, his politics has been nothing more than a nomadic ambition in search of a party willing to mortgage its soul,” he said.
He argued that the decision of Atiku’s son to join the APC was “not a coincidence but a confession,” describing it as a generational rejection of “recycled politics, expired ambitions, and leadership without conviction.”
Oladejo said the move represented an endorsement of the APC’s record of governance and the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“Let it be said without equivocation: when credibility collapses at home, it cannot be rehabilitated in the marketplace of national politics,” he added.
