The camp of former Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar has dismissed as false a claim circulating online that he is involved in secret political negotiations linked to the 2027 general elections in Nigeria.
The allegation was attributed to Peter Ayodele Fayose, a former governor of Ekiti State in southwestern Nigeria, who posted a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Wednesday, February 11, 2026.
In the post, Fayose alleged that Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State in southwestern Nigeria had agreed to leave the Peoples Democratic Party, one of Nigeria’s major political parties, for the African Democratic Congress, a smaller opposition party. Fayose claimed this would happen only if Makinde was guaranteed the vice-presidential slot as Atiku’s running mate for the 2027 election.
Fayose also claimed that Makinde met Atiku in Minna, the capital of Niger State in north-central Nigeria, on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, describing it as a carefully arranged meeting attended by selected individuals to ensure “confidence and acceptability.”
Reacting on Thursday, February 12, 2026, Atiku’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, issued a statement in Abuja rejecting the claims and calling the report a “reckless and malicious fabrication.” He also described it as a “shameless concoction.”
“At no time did former Vice President Atiku Abubakar engage in the imaginary horse-trading described in that laughable script,” Shaibu said.
Shaibu said there were no negotiations over any vice-presidential ticket and denied that Atiku discussed financial contributions, including the alleged ₦10 billion, zoning arrangements, delegate guarantees, or any hidden 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 trying to pull other political figures into what he called a fabricated narrative meant to mislead the public and trigger controversy. Shaibu also said Atiku’s political engagements are national in scope and not based on the kind of transactional politics described in the post.
He urged the public to disregard the claim, adding that it should be treated “with the contempt it deserves.”