Fayose gives Atiku 48-hour ultimatum to withdraw statement on meeting with Babangida

Former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose has given a 48-hour ultimatum to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to publicly disown a statement issued by one of his media aides, Paul Ibe, over his recent meeting with ex-Military President Ibrahim Babangida in Minna, the capital of Niger State.

Atiku’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, had condemned a statement issued by Fayose on the meeting, calling it “a reckless and malicious fabrication.”

In his reaction, Fayose credited the statement to Ibe, saying he found the aide’s response to his earlier disclosure about the meeting “amusing,” but noted that, out of respect for Atiku, he would assume the statement was not authorised by the former vice president.

The former governor said he expected Atiku to issue a rebuttal within 48 hours to distance himself from the media aide’s comments, warning that failure by the former president to publicly disown the statement would compel him to reveal further details about the meeting.

Atiku’s aide dismisses Minna meeting story as ‘fabrication’

Fayose stated: “I saw the response of one Paul Ibe, one of the Media Aides to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, to my release on what transpired at his (Atiku) meeting in Minna, with Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, and I can’t but be amused.

“However, because of my respect for Atiku, I will want to assume that he did not authorise the press statement and I will expect that after seeing it, he will within 48 hours, cause a rebuttal to be issued on it.

“Should Atiku not publicly disown the statement within the next 48 hours, I will have no option but to spill more beans (the facilitators and executioners) of the Minna meeting, particularly what was said about Wike) and by then, I will be doing so without any atom of respect for him.

“Till then, we keep our gunpowder dry.”

The Star