In a dramatic U-turn, a factional president of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Atiku Abubakar Isah, has publicly withdrawn his viral allegations against Seyi Tinubu, the son of President Bola Tinubu, admitting that his claims were fabricated and fueled by internal student politics.

Atiku, who had earlier accused Seyi Tinubu and Minister of Youth and Sports Development Ayodele Olawande of offering him ₦100 million to endorse the president — a proposition he claimed to have rejected — has now apologized, saying the allegations were based on lies told to him by a political rival.

In a statement released on his Facebook page on Wednesday, Atiku revealed that he was misled by one Ladoja Olusola, whom he accused of orchestrating a campaign of misinformation in a bid to seize control of the student union leadership.

“It has become imperative to note that the offer of ₦100,000,000, which was alleged was made to me to support President Tinubu, was clearly untrue,” Atiku wrote. “Ladoja Olusola, who was desperate to get me out of my legitimate position… fed me the lies and half-truths for the sole purpose of achieving his selfish agenda.”

He further disclosed that Olusola manipulated him by instilling fear, claiming Seyi Tinubu could “order his killing” and instruct the Inspector General of Police to cover it up — assertions Atiku now admits were baseless.

The student leader also withdrew an earlier claim that Seyi Tinubu had personally led a group of thugs to disrupt his inauguration, clarifying that Tinubu was never present at the venue.

The retraction has sent ripples across Nigeria’s student and political communities, coming just weeks after Atiku’s initial video sparked outrage and calls for investigation into alleged state-backed intimidation.

With this admission, questions now swirl around the growing internal rifts within NANS and the extent to which student politics is being manipulated for personal or political gain.