- The former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, has denied claims of withdrawing from the 2027 presidential race
- He labeled the resignation rumours as a “coordinated disinformation campaign”
- Atiku also refuted claims of a national-level meeting with African Democratic Congress stakeholders, claiming that his only recent engagement was with ADC members in Adamawa State
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has dismissed claims that he has withdrawn from the 2027 presidential race, describing the reports as false and misleading.
In a statement released on Monday, March 30, in Abuja by his media office, Atiku said the rumours suggesting he had stepped away from active politics were part of a “coordinated disinformation campaign” aimed at discrediting him.
The statement read: “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 Wazirin 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.
“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.
“This latest falsehood bears all the hallmarks of a coordinated disinformation campaign designed to create confusion, dampen momentum, and mislead the Nigerian public.
“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 further urged Nigerians and supporters of the African Democratic Congress to ignore the reports, describing them as baseless.
This is not the first time the former presidential candidate has addressed such claims. In December, Atiku dismissed reports suggesting he had agreed to step down for younger aspirants.
Similarly, in January, he maintained that no aspirant would withdraw from the ADC presidential race, stressing that all qualified candidates would be given a fair opportunity to contest once the party begins its selection process.