The All Progressives Congress has dismissed speculation that the defection of Abba Atiku could destabilise the ruling party, praising former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for what it described as a mature, hands-off response.
The APC also insisted that the ruling party remains too structured and disciplined to be infiltrated.
The party’s Deputy National Organising Secretary, Nze Chidi Duru, made the position known in an exclusive interview with The PUNCH while reacting to the political debate and suspicion that followed the younger Atiku’s defection from the Peoples Democratic Party to the APC.
Duru said the APC respected Atiku’s public stance on the matter, noting that the former Vice President had clearly distanced himself from his son’s political decision and refrained from imposing his views, a move he said reflected democratic values.
He said, “It’s very difficult to discuss father and son relationship. What happens in the family stays in the family. Again, I believe that His Excellency Atiku Abubakar has issued a statement in this respect.
He does not impose on his family, children, or Nigerians.
“We should hold him to that and respect the views that he has expressed, with respect to the fact that one of his own sons, instead of joining the ADC, decided to pitch his tent withthe APC.
“We commend him, as always, for his mature response to what many may consider to be adversarial to his interests, and then hope that Nigerians will respect his views, with respect to his response to this defection, as well as the view of his son, who has decided, instead of ADC, to be part of the APC.”
Responding to speculation in some quarters that Abba Atiku could be entering the ruling party as a mole, Duru dismissed such fears, insisting that the APC’s internal discipline and organisational structure were strong enough to withstand any individual influence.
“We welcome all shades of opinion, categories of people that would have seen the overwhelming machine that the APC represents. It is impossible for one man or a person to come into the APC and disrupt the organisation and the discipline for which the APC is noted.
“APC is a political party that is anchored on several pillars. One of such pillars is around discipline, the other is on hierarchy, and then, more importantly, focus on providing leadership at the party level and also as a vehicle for ushering in a Nigeria that all of us can be proud of,” he stated.
Duru’s remarks followed the public reaction of the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, who distanced himself from his son’s defection, describing it as a personal decision.
Atiku broke his silence on Thursday via his verified X (formerly Twitter) account, hours after Abba formally defected from the PDP to the APC and pledged to work for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
He wrote, “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.
“As a democrat, I do not coerce my own children in matters of conscience, and I certainly will not coerce Nigerians.”
The former Vice President, however, reiterated his criticism of the APC-led Federal Government, linking the development to what he described as governance failures.
“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.”
Abba announced his defection on Thursday at the National Assembly complex in Abuja, where he was received by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, alongside other APC leaders from the North-East.
He pledged to support President Bola Tinubu’s second-term bid, citing the leadership style of Senator Barau and the policies of the Tinubu administration.
He also directed members of his political structure, the Haske Atiku Organisation, founded in 2022, to join the APC in support of the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Following the defection, the group announced it had been renamed the Haske Bola Tinubu Organisation, signalling full alignment with President Tinubu’s 2027 re-election campaign.
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