Former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, has denied claims that he plans to step down for a southern candidate in the 2027 presidential election.
Atiku’s media team released a message from Abuja saying there was no such meeting where he was told to step down. They called the story false and described it as a trick by the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), to cause confusion in the opposition.
The statement came after reports spread online, suggesting he had been asked to withdraw from the race.
The statement explained that Atiku was never invited to any meeting and did not reject any call to step aside. It said the rumour was made up to mislead Nigerians and weaken the efforts of the opposition.
Atiku and other opposition leaders recently chose the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as their platform for the 2027 elections. His team believes that the success of this new movement is making the ruling party uncomfortable, which is why they are spreading false stories.
According to Atiku’s camp, the aim of these rumours is to create division among opposition leaders and reduce their unity. But they assured Nigerians that the coalition remains strong and focused on offering a better option in the next election.
Finally, Atiku’s team urged the public and the media to ignore the rumour. They also reminded the APC that Nigerians are now looking for change and have accepted the ADC as a credible alternative.