The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has denied allegations that the Federal Government is plotting to assassinate former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, describing the claim as false and urging security agencies to invite its author, Timi Frank, to substantiate it.
Frank, a member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), had alleged that the Nigerian Government was plotting to assassinate Atiku, the party’s presidential candidate.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the council’s spokesperson, Dele Alake, said neither the Presidency nor the APC Presidential Campaign Council was involved in any plot to assassinate Atiku or any opposition figure.
Alake called on security agencies to investigate the allegation, stressing that any credible threat to life must be treated seriously, irrespective of political affiliation.
He also urged Frank to provide any information in his possession that could assist a prompt investigation.
The APC council further dismissed claims that security personnel attached to Atiku had been withdrawn, insisting that the former vice-president remained protected by the police and the Department of State Services (DSS).
According to Alake, President Bola Tinubu recently directed security agencies to reinforce and increase protection for all presidential, vice-presidential, governorship and deputy governorship candidates across the country.
He said Atiku’s security had not been compromised, adding that the former vice-president enjoyed two levels of state-funded security protection by virtue of his former office.
Alake also stated that Tinubu had increased security protection for Atiku as a presidential candidate ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Defending the President’s democratic credentials, the APC spokesperson said Tinubu recognised opposition politics as an essential component of Nigeria’s 27-year-old democracy.
He recalled that Tinubu had spent 16 years as an opposition figure and played a leading role in the movement that defeated the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2015 general election.
Alake described Frank’s allegation as opposition “rabble-rousing” intended to heighten political tension, accusing some opposition figures of making public allegations and tagging foreign leaders and international organisations on social media to attract attention.
He warned that politicians and their supporters might resort to sensational claims and frivolous allegations as the country moves deeper into the campaign season.
The council, however, urged political parties, candidates and their supporters to exercise restraint and responsibility in their public statements.
It called for peaceful and lawful political competition focused on issues affecting Nigerians, rather than character assassination and what it described as baseless allegations.
The statement was dated October 20, 2026.
