Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has denied reports that he has stepped down from the 2027 presidential race.
In a statement issued on Monday, Abubakar’s media office said reports claiming the former vice-president has quit active politics are a “coordinated disinformation campaign” against him.
“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 reads.
“The Waziri Adamawa 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.
“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.
“We state 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.”
Abubakar’s media office asked Nigerians and supporters of the ADC chieftain to disregard the “fake news in its entirety”.
In December 2025, Abubakar, who is expected to run for the presidential ticket of the ADC, dismissed reports that he promised to step down for younger candidates.
In January, Abubakar said no aspirant will withdraw from the ADC presidential ticket race, noting that all qualified hopefuls would “present themselves freely” when the party begins its selection process.
