Atiku Speaks On Resigning From Active Politics
Nigeria’s former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has dismissed reports claiming he had resigned from active politics, describing the speculation as a deliberate plot to create confusion and weaken the momentum of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
In a statement issued on Monday through his Media Office, the former presidential candidate said the information circulating on social media about a purported meeting with ADC stakeholders, where he allegedly decided to step aside from politics, was entirely false.
“We wish to state, for the record, that information circulating on social media about a purported meeting of His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar, with stakeholders of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), in which the former Vice President allegedly decided to ‘step aside and retire from active politics,’ is entirely false and deliberately misleading,” the statement read.
The media office clarified that the Waziri Adamawa had not held any recent national-level meeting with ADC stakeholders, noting that his only engagement was with party members in Adamawa State.
“The Waziri Adamawa has not in recent times held any such meeting with ADC stakeholders at the national level. The only recent engagement he had was with stakeholders of the ADC in Adamawa State last Thursday,” the statement added.
The former Vice President emphasized that any decision of such magnitude would not be communicated through unofficial channels.
“An issue as fundamental and consequential as exiting active politics cannot, and would never, be communicated through rumours, faceless sources, or third-party fabrication. Such a decision, if ever taken, would be formally conveyed through the Atiku Media Office,” it said.
Atiku’s media team alleged that the claim was part of a coordinated disinformation campaign aimed at undermining political opposition and misleading the public.
“This latest falsehood bears all the hallmarks of a coordinated disinformation campaign designed to create confusion, dampen momentum, and mislead the Nigerian public,” the statement noted.
The statement further suggested that the narrative may have been sponsored by those unsettled by growing political opposition.
“Only the government and its agents could have sponsored this desperate narrative out of fear of what is coming,” it added.
The media office also accused unnamed anti-democratic elements of attempting to destabilize political mobilisation efforts.
“We state without equivocation that this mischief is being driven by anti-democratic elements who are deeply unsettled by the growing national consensus to rescue Nigeria from the failures of the current administration,” the statement said.
The former Vice President urged his supporters and members of the ADC to disregard the report and remain focused.
“We therefore urge supporters of Atiku Abubakar, members of the ADC, and all well-meaning Nigerians to disregard this fake news in its entirety and remain focused on the collective effort to reclaim and rebuild our nation,” the statement concluded.
