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Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar accuses Presidency of sponsoring fake press releases in his name
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Says mercenaries are being used to smear opposition leaders with fabricated statements
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Media houses urged to verify with Atiku Media Office before publication
Former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has alleged that the Presidency is behind a coordinated plot to smear his image by hiring faceless mercenaries to impersonate him and circulate fake statements.
In a statement signed by his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, on Thursday, Atiku dissociated himself from one Kola Johnson, whom he described as a fraudster issuing false press releases in his name.
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The statement reads: “We have observed with concern a certain self-styled media consultant, one Kola Johnson, issuing press releases in the name of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. Our findings point directly to the Presidency, which in its desperation to smear opposition leaders, has resorted to hiring faceless mercenaries to fabricate fake stories and circulate unauthorized statements on Atiku.”
Atiku said particularly offensive was the claim that his administration would be dominated by a single ethnic group, describing it as part of a calculated propaganda project designed to discredit him.
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The statement added: “Let it be clear: Atiku Abubakar has never engaged one Kola Johnson as a media consultant, aide, or associate. Any statement issued in that name is fake and should be disregarded. We urge media houses that have published such falsehoods to immediately retract them.”
Atiku’s camp also warned Nigerians, especially editors and media gatekeepers, to remain vigilant against the propaganda schemes of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, which it accused of infiltrating the press with fabricated content.
The statement stressed that authentic information from Atiku Abubakar is only released through the Atiku Media Office, signed either by his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, or his Special Assistant on Public Communications.
