APC Fires Back Over Atiku Assassination Claim, Challenges ADC Chieftain to Produce Evidence

BY TAIBAT UMMI YAKUBU

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has challenged African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain Timi Frank to provide evidence for his allegation that the Federal Government is plotting to assassinate former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, warning that such a serious claim should not be made without proof.

The council’s spokesperson, Dele Alake, who is also the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, described the allegation as grave and called on security agencies to invite Frank for questioning so that the claim could be properly investigated.

Frank had alleged that the Federal Government was plotting to eliminate Atiku, the ADC’s presidential candidate for the 2027 general election. The allegation has drawn a strong response from the APC campaign council, which insists that neither President Bola Tinubu nor the ruling party is involved in any such plan.

“This is a grave allegation that Mr Frank must prove. We thus urge security agencies to invite him to substantiate the allegation,” Alake said in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday.

He urged Frank to submit any information in his possession to investigators, stressing that credible threats against anyone’s life must be treated seriously rather than left to generate speculation in the political space.

The APC council also rejected claims that security personnel assigned to Atiku had been withdrawn, insisting that the former vice-president continued to enjoy protection from the police and the Department of State Services (DSS).

According to Alake, Tinubu had recently directed security agencies to strengthen protection for presidential and vice-presidential candidates, as well as governorship and deputy governorship candidates across the country.

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He maintained that Atiku’s security arrangements had not been compromised, arguing that his status as a former vice-president entitled him to two levels of state-funded protection, with additional measures introduced following his emergence as a presidential candidate.

Alake also sought to counter suggestions that the allegation reflected hostility towards the opposition, describing Tinubu as a democrat who understood the importance of political competition.

He recalled that Tinubu spent 16 years in opposition politics before the Peoples Democratic Party lost power in 2015, arguing that the president understood the role opposition parties play in sustaining Nigeria’s democracy.

However, the APC spokesperson accused some opposition figures of making provocative statements through open letters and social media posts directed at foreign leaders and international organisations, alleging that such actions were intended to attract attention and heighten political tension.

He warned that political exchanges could become increasingly heated as the 2027 elections approach, urging parties, candidates and their supporters to avoid unsubstantiated allegations and focus instead on issues affecting Nigerians.

Alake called for political competition based on facts, lawful conduct and peaceful engagement, rather than accusations capable of inflaming tensions.

“Let our political competition be peaceful, lawful, and focused on the big issues that matter to Nigerians, not character assassination or wild, baseless allegations,” he said.

The exchange adds another layer to the growing political contest ahead of the 2027 election, with the APC demanding evidence for the alleged assassination plot while maintaining that Atiku’s security remains intact. Frank’s allegation, however, remains a claim that requires independent investigation and verification.