Reported By Mary Udezue | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
ABUJA, Nigeria — The Lagos State chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has publicly ridiculed former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain Atiku Abubakar, after his son, Abubakar Atiku Abubakar, rejected his father’s political alignment with the ADC by defecting to the APC and backing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re‑election bid ahead of the 2027 general election.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the party, through its Lagos state spokesperson Seye Oladejo, described Abubakar’s decision to join the APC as a “political earthquake” and a significant blow to Atiku’s credibility. The APC’s message, headlined “You Can’t Trust Atiku More Than His Son,” framed the younger Atiku’s alignment with the ruling party as a public repudiation of his father’s political judgment and strategy.
Oladejo argued that the defection symbolised a generational rejection of what he labelled the “pretentious ADC contraption” and criticised the former vice president’s political record as inconsistent and driven by personal ambition. Highlighting Atiku’s history of switching parties — from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the Action Congress and back — the spokesman portrayed the son’s choice as emblematic of a broader lack of ideological conviction.
“This singular act has said more than a thousand press conferences ever could,” Oladejo said, suggesting that if even Atiku’s own immediate family members are unconvinced by his political direction, the wider electorate should be sceptical of his leadership claims. He accused the opposition figure of indulging in “political tourism” and described the APC’s governance record and the Renewed Hope Agenda championed by President Tinubu as better grounded and worthy of support.
The comments reflect the growing political theatre ahead of the 2027 polls, where realignments among key political actors have become focal talking points. Atiku’s son, commonly known as Abba, publicly renounced his previous affiliation with the PDP and any platform tied to his father’s political outreach, instead embracing a future within Nigeria’s ruling party. He pledged to mobilise support for the APC and direct members of his former political organisation, the Haske Atiku Organisation, to join and support Tinubu’s reelection efforts.
For his part, Atiku Abubakar responded to his son’s decision by emphasising that the choice was “entirely personal” and not reflective of any divergence from his own political commitments. In social media posts, the former PDP presidential candidate reiterated his belief in democratic freedoms, saying individual political decisions within families are not unusual in a pluralistic society. Despite their different affiliations, Atiku reaffirmed his criticism of the APC government’s handling of Nigeria’s economy and social affairs.
The development has drawn reactions from political commentators who view the son’s defection as both a strategic advantage for the APC and a symbolic challenge to the opposition coalition centred around the ADC. While the APC has used the episode to question Atiku’s political consistency, critics argue that individual political choices — even within high‑profile families — are part of the fluid dynamics shaping Nigeria’s evolving party landscape.
As the 2027 electoral cycle approaches, the incident underscores the broader contest for influence among Nigeria’s major political parties and highlights how personal and familial political decisions can become potent narratives in national discourse.
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