Atiku Confirms KTH Daily Exclusive, Disowns ‘Kola Johnson’ as Consultant

…Ex-VP Says Unauthorised Press Release Is Part of A Wider Smear Campaign Against Him

By John Paul

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has confirmed KTH Daily’s exclusive report that a so-called “media consultant” who issued a statement in his name, pledging top positions for the Yoruba in a future government, is unknown to his office or structures.

On Thursday, Atiku’s office formally disowned the man, identified as one “Kola Johnson,” insisting he has no link to the former Vice President or his team .

On Thursday, KTH Daily had reported that a senior source within Atiku’s inner circle dismissed Johnson as “unknown to the Atiku structure.” Despite this, the statement, signed in Atiku’s name, circulated widely, stressing his marriage to Titi Atiku Abubakar from Osun State as proof that a government under his watch would not be dominated by the Hausa-Fulani.

The purported release had quoted Atiku as saying: “It is for this reason that I count myself extremely lucky indeed to have had a wife from amongst this noble species of the human race… the Yoruba, whether individually or collectively, have always occupied a special place in my heart.” It further claimed that his Yoruba ties ensured the ethnic group would “always occupy a topmost place” in his policymaking and governance if elected president in 2027.

But in a formal statement issued Thursday by his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, Atiku’s camp described the release as fake and part of a wider smear campaign allegedly orchestrated by the Presidency.

“We have observed with concern a certain self-styled ‘media consultant,’ one Kola Johnson, issuing press releases in the name of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar,” Ibe said. “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.”

The Atiku Media Office declared emphatically that Atiku has never engaged Johnson “as a media consultant, aide, or associate,” and warned that any statement issued in his name should be disregarded. It called on media houses that had published Johnson’s release to retract it.

“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,” the statement read.

The camp accused the Tinubu administration of masterminding propaganda and disinformation against opposition leaders, urging Nigerians and journalists to be vigilant. It stressed that authentic information from Atiku is released only through the Atiku Media Office, signed by either Paul Ibe or the Special Assistant on Public Communications.

With the disavowal, Atiku’s camp has put to rest the controversy over the “Yoruba statement,” confirming KTH Daily’s initial report that the so-called media consultant was unknown to his campaign structure.