Atiku denies 2027 pact with Makinde, slams Fayose

The camp of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has dismissed as false and malicious a post attributed to former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, alleging secret political negotiations involving him.

Fayose had alleged that Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State had agreed to dump the Peoples Democratic Party and join the African Democratic Congress on the condition that he would emerge as the party’s vice-presidential candidate for Atiku in the 2027 general elections.

Fayose made the claim in a statement titled, “Between Atiku and Makinde, Untold Story of What Happened in Minna Yesterday,” posted on his verified X (formerly Twitter) account on Wednesday.

According to him, Makinde met with Atiku in Minna, Niger State, on Tuesday in what he described as a carefully arranged meeting with selected personalities to ensure “confidence and acceptability.”

However, in a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday, Atiku’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, described the report as a “reckless and malicious fabrication.”

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Shaibu said the publication was a “shameless concoction” and denied claims that Atiku engaged in any form of political bargaining as alleged in the report.

“At no time did former Vice President Atiku Abubakar engage in the imaginary horse-trading described in that laughable script,” he said.

He specifically refuted claims of negotiations over a vice-presidential ticket, alleged ₦10 billion contributions, zoning arrangements, delegate guarantees, or any clandestine meeting in Dubai.

“There were no negotiations over vice-presidential tickets. There were no discussions about ₦10 billion contributions. There were no zoning manipulations.

“There were no delegate-delivery guarantees. And there is certainly no clandestine ‘Dubai meeting’ on any such agenda,” Shaibu stated.

He accused Fayose of attempting to drag other political actors into what he described as a fabricated narrative in a bid to create controversy.

“The story is not insider information. It is insider fiction — manufactured to mislead, distract, and provoke.

“His Excellency Atiku Abubakar’s political engagements are broad-based, principled, and national in scope — not the narrow, transactional theatrics invented in that publication,” he added.

He urged members of the public to disregard the report, insisting that the former vice president does not engage in secretive or transactional politics.

“We advise the public to treat the publication with the contempt it deserves,” the statement added.

Punch