Atiku denies stepping aside, rules out retirement from politics

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has dismissed claims that he has stepped aside and retired from active politics.

According to Atiku Media Office, the claim circulating on social media that the former VP announced his retirement during a meeting with stakeholders of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) is entirely false and deliberately misleading.

In a statement on Monday, the media team said Atiku 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,” the media team said.

“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.”

Atiku Media Office said only the government and its agents could have sponsored the “desperate narrative out of fear of what is coming.”

It stated 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.

“We therefore urge supporters of Atiku Abubakar, members of the ADC, and all well-meaning Nigerians to disregard this fake news in its entirety and remain focused on the collective effort to reclaim and rebuild our nation,” the media team said.