The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has denied claims that the government is plotting against Atiku Abubakar, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, as tension rises less than three months before the 2027 elections.
The claim
In an open letter dated 19 October 2026, Timi Frank, a former deputy national publicity secretary of the APC who is now in the ADC, appealed to US President Donald Trump and other world leaders to intervene. He alleged that the federal government could use state institutions to intimidate, arrest, detain or even assassinate Atiku, and asked the United States, the United Nations, the African Union, ECOWAS, the European Union and the United Kingdom to press Nigeria for guarantees of the safety of Atiku and other opposition figures. He called for an independent investigation.
The denial
On Tuesday 20 October, Dele Alake, spokesperson for the APC Presidential Campaign Council, rejected the claim outright. He said neither the Presidency nor the campaign was involved in any plot against Atiku or any other opposition figure, described the allegation as grave, and challenged Frank to take his evidence to the security agencies, which he urged to invite Frank to substantiate it.
Alake also denied that security personnel had been withdrawn from Atiku. He said the former vice-president is protected by both the Nigeria Police Force and the State Security Service, that President Bola Tinubu had increased his detail, and that the president had ordered stronger protection for all presidential, vice-presidential, governorship and deputy governorship candidates ahead of the polls.
Neither side has published evidence for its account, and the claims have not been independently verified.
