Abba Atiku Abubakar, the son of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, recently defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), underscoring the fact that prominent Nigerian political families are not always cohesive across party lines.
Abba Atiku, who has sworn allegiance to President Bola Tinubu and the APC, is now politically at odds with his father, who is in charge of an opposition coalition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) that seeks to remove the President.
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Even though Atiku Abubakar is still one of the most powerful opposition leaders in Nigeria, his son’s choice puts them on different sides of the country’s developing political battle ahead of the general elections in 2027.
There is precedent for Abba Atiku’s desertion. A number of Nigerian politicians have publicly supported parties that differ from their parents’ or close relatives’ over the years.
The most recent defection has reignited public discussion on the independence of political decisions among aristocratic families, even though the list of such lawmakers is not all-inclusive.
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Ikoku Alvan against Ikoku Samuel Goomsu
In 1957, Samuel Goomsu Ikoku, a radical socialist politician on the Action Group platform, ran against his father, the well-known Alvan Ikoku, whose picture appeared on the Nigerian N10 banknote, for the Eastern House of Assembly under the First Republic. By defeating his father, who was a member of the United National Independence Party, the younger Ikoku established a precedent for this kind of political phenomenon: a father and son from different political parties.
Comparing Olushola and Bukola Saraki
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After years of political cooperation, former governor Bukola Saraki and his father, Olushola Saraki, parted ways in 2011 during Nigeria’s return to democracy due to a political struggle over who would lead Kwara. While his father moved to the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria to support his daughter Gbemisola Saraki’s run for governor, the former Senate president maintained the Peoples Democratic Party structure to back his candidate, Abdulfatah Ahmed. However, the Saraki junior camp prevailed.
Bello and Nasir El-Rufai
Nasir El-Rufai, a former governor and founding member of the ruling All Progressives Congress, quickly left the party to join the Social Democratic Party after the Senate vetoed his candidacy for minister. Later, he joined the African Democratic Congress coalition, joining Peter Obi (of the Labour Party) and other unhappy politicians who had defected from the PDP for the ADC. Bello El-Rufai, the eldest son of Mr. El-Rufai, is still an APC member despite serving in the House of Representatives.
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David Mark versus Onyeche Onuh Blessing
Both his daughter, Blessing Onuh, and former Senate President David Mark, a prominent member of the PDP who is currently an arrowhead in the ADC, belong to competing political parties. His daughter is a member of the ruling party and serves as the House of Representatives’ representative for the Otukpo/Ohimini federal seat, while Mr. Mark is a member of the coalition working to remove the APC.
Ibori James vs Ibori-Suenu Erhiatake
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Ibori-Suenu, the daughter of PDP founding member and former Delta governor James Ibori, is an APC member. Ms. Ibori-Suenu, a member of the House of Representatives, was a PDP member before.
Obasanjo Olusegun vs Obasanjo Juwon
In the 2019 presidential election, former President Olusegun Obasanjo supported the PDP candidate, but his son, Juwon Obasanjo, publicly backed and actively campaigned for former President Muhammadu Buhari of the APC. As the national coordinator of the Buhari Youth Organization, the younger Obasanjo joined the Buhari Campaign Organization and opposed his father’s favored candidate.
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Ditan and Doyin Okupe
Doyin Okupe, a PDP member and former spokesperson for Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan, and his son Ditan Okupe were in opposing political camps in 2019. His son backed President Muhammadu Buhari of the APC for reelection, whereas Mr. Okupe backed the PDP in the 2019 election.
