Paul Ibe, the media adviser to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has denied circulating claims that the former presidential candidate is preparing to contest in the 2027 elections.
The clarification follows the spread of a viral video on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), in which Atiku was reportedly heard hinting at a “formal announcement” regarding his political future.
Some commentators interpreted the clip as a sign of his intention to run for president again.
In a statement on Friday, Ibe clarified that the footage was recorded in 2022, prior to the Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential primary election.
“Atiku’s old video is being used for mischief. Yes, this was former Vice President of Nigeria (1999–2007), Atiku Abubakar, speaking to journalists ahead of the 2023 PDP presidential primary,” Ibe said.
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He explained that Atiku’s confident tone in the clip was natural for a candidate gearing up for a major political race.
“He sounded confident because that is what is expected of a man who had worked hard and was optimistic of victory in the primaries of the 2023 election,” he added.
Ibe urged Nigerians to ignore the misleading interpretations of the old video and warned against deliberate attempts to twist its context.
“It is important to provide the context of this video to deprive mischief makers of the opportunity of misrepresenting what this video is all about,” he said.
