Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party’s 2023 presidential candidate and former vice president, has denied any affiliation with Kola Johnson, a media strategist.
This comes as he rejects remarks made by a media consultant on Wednesday that he will protect Yoruba interests if elected president in 2027.
Atiku, in a statement made on Thursday by his media adviser, Paul Ibe, said that “faceless mercenaries” are behind the phony press statement intended to defame him.
He also denied the claim as “false and offensive,” claiming it was part of a planned propaganda campaign to mock him in the media.
The letter singled out Kola Johnson, a “self-styled media consultant,” for purportedly releasing a publication saying that an Atiku administration would be dominated by a particular ethnic community.
The statement read, “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.
“Particularly offensive is the false claim attributed to this individual that an Atiku administration would be dominated by a single ethnic group. This disinformation is part of a calculated propaganda project designed to ridicule Atiku in the media.
“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.”
The message further stated that real information about the former vice president is only available through his media adviser or special assistant on public communications.
“Editors and media gatekeepers are strongly advised to verify with the Atiku Media Office before publication,” the statement added.
According to widely circulated reports on Wednesday, Atiku has guaranteed residents in the South-West geopolitical zone that their interests will remain crucial to his policy direction if elected president in 2027, stressing that his long-standing marital and cultural links to the region make him family.
According to a statement by Kola Johnson, the former vice president addressed an engagement with select stakeholders.
According to the report, Atiku regarded the people of the South-West as one of the finest species of the human race, citing his marriage to a Yoruba woman in the 1970s as the catalyst for his permanent link with the Yorubas.
He dismissed predictions of Hausa/Fulani dominance under his reign as false, claiming that the Yoruba were his larger extended family and in-laws.
Atiku added that his Yoruba connections extend beyond family, as some of his closest friends and associates were from the region.
“In case you don’t know or have forgotten, I was married to my first wife, Titi, a Yoruba woman, in the 70s, and we have four Yoruba children together. She is now over 75 years old, and we are still together.
“Besides, the Yoruba are so sophisticated and highly educated that you can only toy with them at your peril,” Atiku stated.
“My Ijesha-born Yoruba wife is more than a wife to me. Aptly put, she is my jewel of inestimable value, and anybody who knows about my family, even from a distance, can easily tell you this.”
