2027 election: No plot to assassinate Atiku – APC-PCC

The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council (APC-PCC) has declared that there is no plot to assassinate former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), insisting that his security details have not been withdrawn.

The council said the claim, made by the former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Timi Frank, was false and must be proved.

In a statement released Tuesday in Abuja, the spokesperson of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Dele Alake, said: “We categorically reject the claim that the presidency of Nigeria or the APC Campaign Council is involved in any plot to assassinate former Vice President Atiku Abubakar or any opposition figure.

“This is a grave allegation that Mr Frank must prove. We thus urge security agencies to invite him to substantiate the allegation, given its gravity and the urgent need to preserve life,” the statement said.

According to Alake, the former Vice President is well protected by the police and the Department of State Security. Contrary to the falsehood promoted by Timi Frank, President Tinubu recently directed security agencies to reinforce and increase protection for all presidential, vice-presidential, governorship, and Deputy Governorship candidates across the country. 

“The security around the ADC Presidential candidate has never been compromised. As a former Vice President of Nigeria, he enjoys two levels of state-funded security protection. President Tinubu has increased security protection for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as a Presidential candidate ahead of the 2027 general elections. 

“President Bola Tinubu, as a statesman and an avowed democrat, recognises opposition politics as an essential part of our 27-year-old democracy. For 16 years in Nigeria, President Tinubu was the face of opposition, and he galvanised the opposition movement to defeat the Peoples Democratic Party as a governing party in Nigeria in 2015. 

“Mr Frank’s claim is typical opposition rabble-rousing meant to heat the polity. Many opposition figures, including Timi Frank, have made it a habit to write open letters and tag foreign leaders and international organisations in social media posts to draw undeserved attention to themselves. 

“As we go deeper into the campaign season, politicians and supporters will continue to make outlandish statements and frivolous allegations to gain political advantage.

“However, we urge candidates, political parties, and supporters to be factual and responsible in public statements and avoid utterances that can trigger avoidable tension in the polity. Let our political competition be peaceful, lawful, and focused on the big issues that matter to Nigerians, not character assassination or wild, baseless allegations.”