THE senator representing Sokoto North Senatorial District, Aliyu Wamakko, has distanced himself from reports linking him to a purported 2027 vice-presidential ambition.
In a press statement made available to this newspaper Monday morning, the former governor of Sokoto State and Sarkin Yamman Sokoto, described the claims as false, unauthorised, and politically mischievous.
The rebuttal comes in response to a recent statement attributed to the Chairman of Kebbe Local Government Area, Abdullahi Yerima, and published by a newspaper (not News Point Nigeria).
In the statement signed by his spokesperson, Abdallah el-Kurebe, Wamakko denied ever expressing interest, either publicly or privately, in contesting for the position of vice president or any such political office ahead of the 2027 general election.
There has been a crisis in the All Progressives Congress over the chances of Vice President Kashim Shettima in the 2027 calculation.
Recently, a meeting of the North-East stakeholders of the party became chaos after leaders endorsed President Bola Tinubu for 2027 and did not mention Shettima.
Since then, there have been speculations that the North-West was positioning to present a candidate to replace Shettima as vice president in 2027.
The Presidency also dismissed the rumoured crisis between Tinubu and Shettima and insisted that the President would pick his running mate after accepting the party nomination at a convention organised by the party.
Distancing himself from any such political move to replace Shettima, Wamakko said he never expressed interest in the position.
“We wish to state unequivocally that Senator Wamakko has never at any time, publicly or privately, expressed interest in contesting for the position of vice president in the 2027 general elections, or in any political arrangement of that nature.
“Any insinuation or claim to that effect is false, baseless, and highly irresponsible,” the statement read.
The former governor further described Yerima’s statement as a reckless and deliberate act aimed at misleading the public and dragging his name into “needless and unfounded political speculation.”
The statement called on the Kebbe council chairman to immediately retract the statement and issue a public apology to both the senator and his family.
“Let it be on record that Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko remains focused on serving the people of Sokoto State and the nation through responsible leadership and political maturity, and should not be drawn into opportunistic narratives concocted for selfish motives,” the statement read.
The senator’s office also criticised the media for publishing the report without verifying its authenticity.