Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has raised alarm over what he described as a coordinated attempt by “anti-democratic elements” to cause confusion and weaken the growing momentum of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
In a press release issued by his media office on Monday, Atiku firmly denied reports circulating on social media claiming he had held a meeting with ADC stakeholders where he allegedly decided to retire from active politics.
According to the statement, “information circulating on social media about a purported meeting… in which the former Vice President allegedly decided to ‘step aside and retire from active politics,’ is entirely false and deliberately misleading.”
The statement clarified that the Waziri Adamawa had not held any such national-level meeting with ADC stakeholders, noting that his only recent engagement was with party stakeholders in Adamawa State.
Dismissing the retirement claims, the media office stressed that such a major decision would never 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,” the statement added.
Atiku’s camp further described the development as a calculated disinformation campaign aimed at misleading Nigerians and disrupting political alignment ahead of future developments.
“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 said.
It went further to allege political interference, stating, “Only the government and its agents could have sponsored this desperate narrative out of fear of what is coming.”
The statement concluded by urging supporters and Nigerians to ignore the claims and remain focused, warning 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.”