2027: Atiku urges public to ignore Fayose’s ‘beer parlour gossip’
By Ishaya Ibrahim
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has dismissed as “beer parlour gossip” claims by former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose that Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has agreed to serve as his running mate in the 2027 presidential election.
In a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described the claims as “a shameless concoction — a tissue of lies stitched together by a serial purveyor of political gossip whose relevance survives only on controversy, distortion, and cheap propaganda.”
The statement, titled “Peter Ayodele Fayose’s Beer Parlour Tales of Infamy,” was Atiku’s response to the former Ekiti Governor’s claim that he and Makinde struck a deal during their Tuesday meeting in Minna, with Makinde agreeing to serve as his vice-presidential candidate on the African Democratic Congress (ADC) platform.
The statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to a reckless and malicious fabrication titled “Between Atiku and Makinde, Untold Story of What Happened in Minna Yesterday,” attributed to one Peter Ayodele Fayose.
“Let it be stated clearly: the entire publication is a shameless concoction — a tissue of lies stitched together by a serial purveyor of political gossip whose relevance survives only on controversy, distortion, and cheap propaganda.
“At no time did former Vice President Atiku Abubakar engage in the imaginary horse-trading described in that laughable script.
“There were no negotiations over vice-presidential tickets. There were no discussions about ₦10 billion contributions. There were no zoning manipulations. There were no delegate-delivery guarantees. And there is certainly no clandestine “Dubai meeting” on any such agenda.
“The attempt to drag other political actors into this fabricated beer parlour tale does not elevate its credibility; it merely exposes the desperation behind it.
“His Excellency Atiku Abubakar’s political engagements are broad-based, principled, and national in scope — not the narrow, transactional theatrics invented in that publication.
“The story is not insider information. It is insider fiction — manufactured to mislead, distract, and provoke.
“It is unfortunate that certain individuals, long deprived of credibility and political gravitas, now attempt to manufacture relevance by inventing tales around serious national figures. Falsehood may trend for a moment, but it collapses under the weight of truth.
“Atiku Abubakar does not transact politics in secrecy, bribery, or transactional desperation as mischievously and irresponsibly portrayed. He remains focused on principled engagement and national redemption — not backroom theatrics designed by attention-seekers.
“We advise the public to treat the publication with the contempt it deserves.”
