Former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, has raised concerns over an alleged plot by the ruling party to undermine the momentum of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as the party prepares for the 2027 general elections.

In a statement released on Tuesday, his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, described as malicious and fabricated reports circulating in sections of the media alleging that Atiku convened a meeting with ADC stakeholders and resolved to “step aside” from active politics.

“Let it be stated without ambiguity: this claim is a lie—pure, calculated, and deliberately engineered to deceive.

“At no time has the Waziri of Adamawa held any such meeting with ADC stakeholders at the national level. His only recent engagement was with stakeholders in Adamawa State. Anything beyond that exists solely in the imagination of those peddling falsehoods.

“A matter as grave and consequential as withdrawing from active politics is not, and will never be, communicated through anonymous leaks, street-corner gossip, or faceless propaganda. Such a decision, if ever contemplated, would be formally and unequivocally announced through the appropriate channels.

“What is unfolding is not idle rumour—it is a coordinated disinformation campaign designed to create confusion, dampen the rising momentum within the ADC, and mislead Nigerians at a critical moment. These attacks are targeted and deliberate.

“In politics, the most dangerous mistake is to judge relevance by position rather than by influence. Power is not always where it sits; sometimes, it is where everything else begins to move.

“Across the political landscape today, one inconvenient truth continues to assert itself: conversations, speculations, and alignments—real or imagined—are not scattering randomly. They are converging, and more often than not, around Atiku Abubakar.

“In physics, gravity is never announced; it is observed. It reveals itself through motion—through what shifts, what aligns, and what bends toward a centre. Politics follows the same principle.

“By the force of consistency, national reach, and an unwavering commitment to coalition-building, His Excellency has emerged as a central figure in the unfolding 2027 political equation. Across regions, generations, and even within unlikely quarters, his name continues to surface—not as an afterthought, but as a force to be reckoned with.

“This is not sentiment; it is political reality. And it is precisely this growing convergence—this widening field of influence—that has triggered panic among anti-democratic elements, who now resort to crude propaganda in a desperate attempt to fracture a momentum they neither understand nor can contain.

“Those who understand power know that what some dismiss as ‘noise’ is often the earliest signal of movement—revealing where attention is drifting, where interests are recalibrating, and where the next realignment may ultimately settle.

“This false narrative bears the unmistakable fingerprints of a desperate establishment and its agents—those unsettled by the rising consensus to rescue Nigeria from drift, dysfunction, and democratic erosion.

“No amount of disinformation will halt this movement. The determination of Nigerians far outweighs the fear of those who have failed them.

“We urge supporters of Atiku Abubakar, members of the ADC, and all well-meaning Nigerians to disregard this propaganda in its entirety and remain steadfast in the collective mission to rebuild our nation. (Guardian)