A former presidential aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adamu Garba, has cautioned party members against celebrating the defection of Abba Abubakar, son of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling party, describing the development as troubling rather than commendable. In a statement shared on his official X handle on Thursday, Garba said the move raised moral concerns, particularly around family loyalty. "I am a member of APC, but I don't think joining our party by Abba, the son of former Vice President H.E. Atiku Abubakar, is a good deal, especially for APC members who are parents," he said.
He warned against placing personal ambition above core values, adding, "I pray for those celebrating to never see a day that their children jettison them at the time when they are needed most." Garba further argued that such actions reflect character, saying, "Any child who dumps his father when he is needed the most will not hesitate to dump you, no matter who else you are."
Abba Abubakar announced his defection on Thursday and was formally received at the National Assembly, Abuja, by trhe Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin alongside APC leaders from the North-East geopolitical zone. "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 declared.
He cited the leadership of the Deputy Senate President as a factor in his decision and pledged to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027. “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,” he said. He also renamed his political group from Atiku Haske Organisation to Haske Bola Tinubu Organisation.
Reacting, Atiku Abubakar said his son’s decision was personal and not influenced by him. “The decision of my son, Abba Abubakar, to join the APC is entirely personal. In a democracy, such choices are neither unusual nor alarming, even when family and politics intersect,” he said in a statement on X.
The former vice president, now a member of the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), added, “As a democrat, I do not coerce my own children in matters of conscience, and I certainly will not coerce Nigerians.” He stressed that his focus remained on opposing what he described as poor governance by the APC and the economic and social hardships facing Nigerians.
Atiku, who was the PDP’s presidential candidate in the 2019 and 2023 elections, lost first to the late President Muhammadu Buhari and later to President Tinubu. In the 2023 poll, he secured 6,984,520 votes, while Tinubu won with 8,794,726 votes.
He formally defected from the PDP in 2025 to join the ADC amid internal party disputes and has since been active in building an opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the ADC unveiling its national headquarters and announcing plans for nationwide membership registration and congresses.
