Aondoakaa Says Desperate political elements behind false report linking him , Ortom, Akume to Atiku

From Dooshima Terkura, Makurdi

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Benue State, Chief Michael Aondoakaa, SAN, has dismissed as false a report alleging a political arrangement involving himself, former Governor Samuel Ortom, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar ahead of the 2027 elections.

In a statement signed and issued on Sunday by his Media Assistant James Ian, Aondakaa described the report as a fabricated political narrative designed to mislead the public, insisting that there had been no meeting, negotiation or agreement involving Aondoakaa and the political figures mentioned in the report.

He also questioned the credibility of the group identified as the “International Centre for Transparency Nigeria (ICTN),” which was reportedly credited with the alleged claims saying they are a faceless group.

According to him, the group had no known credible record of activities to support the claims attributed to it, adding that the publication contained neither documentary evidence, a verifiable communiqué nor any proof linking Aondoakaa to the alleged political arrangement.

“It is particularly curious that a report built almost entirely on unverified allegations is being circulated as news, even while the publication itself admits that it has not independently verified the claims and has obtained no documentary evidence to support them,” he said.

He described the attempt to portray Aondoakaa as a political bridge between Ortom, Akume and Atiku as baseless, challenging the promoters of the allegation to provide evidence of where, when and how the purported arrangement was reached.

Aondoakaa said, as the PDP’s duly nominated governorship candidate in Benue, he is focused on building a broad political coalition across ethnic, religious and political divides ahead of the 2027 election.

He said the the agenda centred on security, economic recovery, agricultural development, job creation and responsible governance, rather than any alleged clandestine presidential arrangement.

The statement further cited Ortom’s role in the G-5 Governors ahead of the 2023 presidential election, when the former governor and his colleagues opposed Atiku’s presidential bid on the grounds that power should rotate to the South after eight consecutive years of northern presidency.

According to him, Ortom had maintained that equity, fairness and national cohesion required adherence to an equitable power rotation.

He also rejected the attempt to link Akume to the alleged arrangement, arguing that the mention of prominent political figures did not constitute evidence of a political deal.

“For the avoidance of doubt, there has been no meeting or arrangement involving Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa, Chief Samuel Ortom and Senator George Akume to work for the presidential ambition of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. No such arrangement exists,” he said.

He alleged that the report was part of an emerging pattern of attacks against Aondoakaa following his emergence as the PDP governorship candidate, suggesting that some political actors were concerned about his electoral prospects ahead of 2027.

He further challenged those behind the report to produce evidence of the alleged meeting, including the date and venue, those who convened and attended it, as well as any verifiable documents supporting the claim.