In a dramatic twist that has sent shockwaves through the student political sphere, Atiku Abubakar Isah—a factional President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS)—has publicly retracted his explosive allegations against Seyi Tinubu, the son of President Bola Tinubu.
Atiku, who had gone viral in April for accusing Seyi Tinubu and the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Ayodele Olawande, of attempting to bribe him with ₦100 million to pledge loyalty to President Tinubu, has now admitted the entire story was a fabrication fueled by internal rivalry and misinformation.
Taking to his Facebook page on Wednesday, Atiku issued a heartfelt apology to Seyi Tinubu, confessing that he had been misled by a fellow NANS member, Ladoja Olusola. According to Atiku, Olusola manipulated him with false information in a desperate bid to unseat him and hijack leadership of the student body through underhanded tactics.
“The allegation that I was offered ₦100 million to support President Tinubu was completely false,” Atiku wrote. “It was part of a web of lies crafted by Ladoja Olusola, who had been plotting to force me out of office for his own political gain.”
He further revealed that Olusola had instilled fear in him by spreading dangerous claims, including that Seyi Tinubu could order his assassination and have the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, suppress any investigation into the matter.
Atiku didn’t stop there. He also withdrew another inflammatory claim from the same video, in which he had accused Seyi Tinubu of personally leading thugs to disrupt his inauguration as NANS President. In his retraction, he clarified that “Seyi Tinubu was never at the venue of my inauguration, and he played no role in any of the events I earlier described.”
The unexpected reversal has sparked intense conversations both online and within student unions, raising questions about integrity, factional politics, and the dangers of weaponizing misinformation.
By owning up to the falsehoods, Atiku appears to be attempting damage control in the wake of what could have become a major national controversy involving the presidency. While his apology has been acknowledged by some observers as a step in the right direction, others are calling for a deeper investigation into the internal power struggles that have plagued NANS in recent years.
This development underscores the volatile nature of student politics in Nigeria, where personal ambitions, misinformation, and political influence often collide with real-world consequences.
