Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Thursday described as “desperate” and “baseless” claims made by former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose regarding an alleged political arrangement involving Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde.
The controversy followed reports of a closed-door meeting between Atiku and Makinde at the Minna residence of former Head of State, Ibrahim Babangida, which fuelled speculation about possible alignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a statement issued earlier, Fayose alleged that Makinde had offered to defect to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as Atiku’s running mate in 2027. He further claimed that the Oyo governor pledged N10 billion to support the party’s structure and promised to mobilise delegates to secure Atiku the ADC presidential ticket.
Fayose also alleged that the meeting in Minna was part of broader negotiations and claimed that another meeting had been scheduled in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to finalise the purported arrangement. He threatened to make public details of the Minna discussions.
However, Atiku, through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, firmly denied the allegations. He stated that no such political deal was discussed and rejected claims of any N10 billion contribution or zoning agreement.
According to Shaibu, the former vice president did not engage in any form of political horse-trading as alleged and described the claims as unfounded speculation aimed at creating unnecessary controversy.
