Atiku Camp Fires Back at Fayose, Dismisses 2027 Deal With Makinde

The camp of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has rejected claims of a secret political arrangement ahead of the 2027 elections.

It described the allegation as false, misleading, and deliberately provocative.

The reaction followed a claim credited to former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose. Fayose alleged that Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, had reached a deal to leave the Peoples Democratic Party for the African Democratic Congress.

He claimed the move was tied to Makinde emerging as Atiku’s vice-presidential running mate in 2027.

Fayose made the claim in a statement titled, “Between Atiku and Makinde, Untold Story of What Happened in Minna Yesterday.” The post was shared on his verified X account on Wednesday.

He further alleged that Makinde met Atiku in Minna, Niger State, during a carefully planned meeting with selected individuals to build “confidence and acceptability.”

Atiku’s camp responded swiftly. In a statement released in Abuja on Thursday, his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, dismissed the story as a fabrication. He described it as a “reckless and malicious fabrication” aimed at stirring controversy.

Shaibu said the narrative was entirely false and lacked any factual basis. According to him, the former vice president was not involved in any form of political bargaining as suggested.

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

He went further to deny specific details contained in the claim. He rejected suggestions of talks around a vice-presidential slot, financial commitments, zoning strategies, or delegate arrangements. He also denied any secret foreign meetings linked to the allegation.

“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,” he stated.

Shaibu accused Fayose of dragging other political figures into what he called a fictional account. He said the aim was to mislead the public and create unnecessary tension within the opposition space.

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

He added that Atiku’s political activities remain open and inclusive, stressing that they are not driven by secret deals or personal transactions.

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

The Atiku camp urged Nigerians to ignore the report. It maintained that the former vice president does not operate through covert or transactional politics.

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

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