Dare Babalola
The camp of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has dismissed a recent publication attributed to Peter Ayodele Fayose as a “reckless and malicious fabrication” and a “tissue of lies”.
The statement, issued on Thursday by Phrank Shaibu, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication to Atiku, described the publication as a shameless attempt to distort facts and mislead the public.
According to the statement, the publication titled “Between Atiku and Makinde, Untold Story of What Happened in Minna Yesterday” contains false claims, including alleged negotiations over vice-presidential tickets, ₦10 billion contributions, zoning manipulations, and delegate-delivery guarantees.
The statement emphatically denied these claims, stating that Atiku Abubakar did not engage in any such discussions.
“At no time did former Vice President Atiku Abubakar engage in the imaginary horse-trading described in that laughable script.
“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,” the statement read partly.
The statement further described the publication as “insider fiction” manufactured to mislead, distract, and provoke, and advised the public to treat it with contempt.
It also criticised Fayose, describing him as a “serial purveyor of political gossip” whose relevance survives only on controversy, distortion, and cheap propaganda.
Atiku’s camp emphasised that his political engagements are “broad-based, principled, and national in scope” and not based on “transactional theatrics” as portrayed in the publication.
“Atiku Abubakar does not transact politics in secrecy, bribery, or transactional desperation as mischievously and irresponsibly portrayed,” the statement said.
The statement concluded by advising the public to disregard the publication and its contents, and reiterated the former VP’s commitment to principled engagement and national redemption.
