![Dr Muhammad Ali Pate, CEO of Gavi Alliance. [PHOTO CREDIT: Twitter handle of Atiku Abubakar]](https://i0.wp.com/media.premiumtimesng.com/wp-content/files/2023/02/Dr-Muhammad-Ali-Pate.jpeg?fit=1080%2C720&ssl=1)
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has strongly denied reports suggesting he was asked to step down for a southern presidential candidate ahead of the 2027 elections, describing the claim as “a malicious fabrication” and “propaganda” allegedly orchestrated by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a statement issued Tuesday by his media office in Abuja, Atiku dismissed the report of a purported meeting where he was said to have rejected calls to withdraw from the race in favour of a southern aspirant. He said no such meeting took place and insisted he had never been approached with such a proposal.
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“There was no such meeting. Atiku Abubakar was never in attendance. The entire story is a malicious fabrication — pure fiction cooked up in the propaganda kitchens of the Tinubu-led APC regime,” the statement read.
The former vice president, who recently participated in the unveiling of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as the political platform of a broad opposition coalition, accused the APC of using the false report to create disunity among opposition ranks.
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“This is nothing but a diversionary tactic — an attempt by a faltering administration to sow discord within the opposition and derail the momentum gained by the successful unveiling of the ADC,” he said.
Atiku’s camp reaffirmed the opposition’s unity and resolve to challenge President Bola Tinubu’s administration in the next election cycle, saying no amount of “propaganda, planted stories, or faceless briefings” would undermine their preparations.
“We want to remind the ruling party that Nigerians have already embraced the ADC as the most credible and viable opposition platform ahead of 2027. The massive and growing support the ADC continues to enjoy across the country is a clear signal that the Tinubu administration is living on borrowed time.”
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The Atiku media team urged Nigerians and the media to disregard the report, which they said lacked credibility, authorship, or any factual basis.
The statement comes amid rising political realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections, with opposition leaders consolidating under a new coalition in hopes of unseating the APC government.
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