Makinde’s visit to IBB not about VP slot – Atiku’s aide
Atiku Abubakar’s Camp Responds to Fayose’s Claims Regarding Makinde Meeting
By Omeiza Ajayi
ABUJA – The office of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has refuted allegations made by former Ekiti State Governor Peter Ayodele Fayose concerning a recent meeting in Minna between Abubakar and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde. Fayose described the meeting as a discussion focused on potential vice-presidential considerations for the 2027 elections, a characterization Abubakar’s camp has dismissed as “reckless and malicious.”
In a statement issued Thursday in Abuja, Phrank Shaibu, Special Assistant on Public Communication to Abubakar, criticized Fayose’s claims, described in an article titled “Between Atiku and Makinde, Untold Story of What Happened in Minna Yesterday.” Shaibu characterized the statements as “a tissue of lies” propagated by what he referred to as a “serial purveyor of political gossip.”
Shaibu emphatically stated, “At no time did former Vice President Atiku Abubakar engage in the imaginary horse-trading described in that laughable script.” He clarified that no negotiations regarding vice-presidential tickets, financial contributions, zoning matters, or any clandestine meetings were discussed during the visit to former military President Gen. Ibrahim Babangida.
The statement suggested that Fayose’s claims reflect an attempt to create relevance through controversy. Shaibu argued that bringing other political figures into the allegations only revealed a sense of desperation.
“His Excellency Atiku Abubakar’s political engagements are broad-based, principled, and national in scope,” Shaibu stated, adding that Abubakar does not engage in secretive or transactional politics and remains committed to national progress rather than “backroom theatrics.”
The developments continue to unfold as political figures prepare for the upcoming election cycle.
