APC campaign council denies allegation of plot to assassinate Atiku Abubakar
The council challenged Timi Frank to give security agencies evidence for his allegation and said Atiku remains under state protection ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 elections.
Nigeria’s APC Presidential Campaign Council denied on 20 October an allegation that the government was plotting to assassinate Atiku Abubakar, the African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, as political parties prepare for the country’s 2027 elections. The council challenged the man who made the allegation, Timi Frank, to give any evidence he has to security agencies.
Frank, an ADC member and former APC deputy national publicity secretary, raised the allegation in an open letter dated 19 October, according to Premium Times. He called on US President Donald Trump and other international leaders to intervene over what he described as threats to Atiku’s life and political freedom. The alleged plot has not been independently established.
Council calls for evidence of alleged threat
Council spokesperson Dele Alake described the allegation as grave and urged security agencies to invite Frank to substantiate it. ‘This is a grave allegation that Mr Frank must prove,’ Alake said, according to BusinessDay. He asked Frank to provide any information that could help an investigation, while saying a credible threat to life should be taken seriously regardless of political affiliation.
Alake rejected any involvement by President Bola Tinubu or the campaign council in a plot against Atiku or another opposition figure. The denial is the council’s response to Frank’s accusation; it does not independently resolve whether a threat exists.
What the council says about Atiku’s protection
The council also disputed claims that security personnel assigned to Atiku had been withdrawn. Alake said the former vice president remained protected by the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services. Premium Times reported his account that Atiku receives two levels of state-funded protection because he is a former vice president. Those descriptions of his current security arrangements come from the council and have not been independently verified.
Alake further said Tinubu had recently directed security agencies to reinforce protection for presidential, vice-presidential, governorship and deputy governorship candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections. The council did not give a date for that directive in the reported statement.
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Sources and context
- No plot to assassinate Atiku - APC Campaign CouncilPremium Times Nigeria
- No Plot To Assassinate Atiku — APCLeadership
- No plot to assassinate Atiku – APC campaign councilBusinessDay
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.