A former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Timi Frank, has publicly alleged that President Bola Tinubu’s government is orchestrating a plot to expose former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to grave danger as the 2027 elections approach. Frank’s claims follow the sudden withdrawal of police personnel from Atiku’s security detail—protection to which he is entitled under law as a former vice president.
Frank, in a statement on Tuesday, described the move as unprecedented since 2007 and said, “No administration since 2007 has ever tampered with Atiku Abubakar’s security, despite his consistent role as a major opposition figure. Why now, at a time when insecurity is at an all-time high across the country?
This action clearly reveals an ulterior motive.” He dismissed official explanations suggesting that police withdrawals were being effected more broadly for all VIPs, and insisted, “This so-called blanket withdrawal is a cover-up. The real objective is to isolate and eliminate Atiku ahead of the 2027 election. The pattern is too obvious to ignore. By law, Atiku is entitled to police protection as a former vice president. Removing his security at this critical time is deliberate and dangerous.”
Frank further warned that the administration’s move mirrors disturbing political trends in Africa, where incumbents use state power to intimidate or silence opposition figures. “President Tinubu is now following the disturbing trend seen in parts of Africa, where incumbents use state machinery to silence opponents. Atiku has been very vocal in exposing the administration’s failures, and this withdrawal of security is nothing but a political witch-hunt,” he asserted.
Challenging the government to prove that the withdrawal is truly nationwide, Frank demanded that police protection should also be removed from presidential family members and associates if the authorities claim all VIPs are affected. “If this directive is truly nationwide, then let the President’s family members, friends, and appointees also lose their security. They are also VIPs. But we know the truth: the main target is Atiku Abubakar, nobody else,” he said.
The allegations come as the Nigeria Police embark on a directive to reassign more than 11,000 officers previously assigned to VIPs countrywide—a security reorganisation linked to the presidency’s efforts to cope with rising insecurity.
