KEY POINTS

• Atiku Haske Organisation dismisses Abba Atiku following his move to the APC

• Group says Abba lacks authority to speak or decide on its political future

• Atiku Abubakar describes his son’s defection as a personal decision

The Atiku Haske Organisation has expelled Abba Atiku Abubakar from its ranks following his defection to the All Progressives Congress, deepening political rifts around structures linked to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

Musa Bakari, initiator and convener of the group, announced the decision in a statement on Sunday, saying Abba had no authority to determine the political direction of the organisation. Bakari said the group was founded independently and only later invited Abba to participate.

Abba, a son of Atiku Abubakar, formally joined the APC last week and called on coordinators and members of his political network to follow him. He also announced a rebranding of his structure as the Haske Bola Tinubu Organisation, pledging support for President Bola Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda.

Leadership Disputes Authority Claim

Bakari said that Abba’s actions went against the Atiku Haske Organisation’s values and rules. He said that Abba did not start the group or give it money, so he could not give orders that everyone had to follow.

The statement says that the organization is still bound by its own rules and way of running things. Bakari said that Abba’s leaving was a breach of trust and that he had to be kicked out as a member.

The group said it would not join the APC and distanced itself from Abba’s new political alignment. Bakari said that the group had decided to leave the Peoples Democratic Party and join the African Democratic Congress instead.