Former Vice President and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has distanced himself from a purported photograph of him canvassing votes for Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Adamawa State.

The Turakin Adamawa, in a statement by his media office yesterday, described the photograph in circulation showing him carrying a banner and asking for votes for Ribadu as a fraud done out of malice.

The statement said the banner in question was the one he held while canvassing for votes for Rauf Aregbesola during last year’s governorship election in Osun State.

Atiku said the imperative of voting for the APC in subsequent elections in the country is a virtue he is firmly committed to, urging all Nigerians to support the cause.

“The purported photograph of me canvassing for votes for the PDP in the Adamawa governorship election is a fraud done out of outright malice.

“I did not, and will never call for support for any candidate of the PDP. The photograph that is being circulated is the photoshop copy of my photograph that called for votes for the Osun State governor in the 2014 governorship election in that state.

“My commitment to support and canvass for votes for the APC – not only in Adamawa State but in all strata of elections across the country – is a virtue that I will urge all Nigerians to follow,” he said.

•Adapted from Newswatch Times. Photo show Atiku Abubakar.