Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has firmly dismissed a viral report claiming he has decided to retire from active politics, describing the allegation as false, misleading, and politically motivated.
In a statement released on Monday by his media office, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain refuted claims that he recently held a meeting with party stakeholders where he allegedly announced plans to step aside from politics.
“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 statement read.
The media office clarified that Atiku had not held any such meeting with ADC stakeholders at the national level. It noted that his only recent engagement was with party stakeholders in Adamawa State last Thursday.
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Describing the report as baseless, the statement stressed that a decision of such magnitude would not be communicated through unofficial channels or anonymous sources.
“An issue as fundamental and consequential as exiting active politics cannot, and would never, be communicated through rumours, faceless sources, or third-party fabrication,” it added, noting that any such announcement would be formally conveyed through the Atiku Media Office.
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The statement went further to allege that the false report bore “all the hallmarks of a coordinated disinformation campaign” aimed at misleading the public and undermining political momentum.
“Only the government and its agents could have sponsored this desperate narrative out of fear of what is coming,” the statement claimed.
It also accused unnamed “anti-democratic elements” of orchestrating the misinformation, suggesting they were unsettled by what it described as a growing national consensus to address the country’s current challenges.
Atiku’s media office urged supporters, ADC members, and Nigerians at large to disregard the report and remain focused on what it called the broader mission of rebuilding the nation.
The former vice president, a veteran politician and multiple-time presidential contender, remains an influential figure in Nigeria’s political landscape, with no indication of stepping away from active participation.
