Dangote Group Denies Rift With Tony Elumelu and Threatens Legal Action Over False Reports

The Dangote Group has issued a formal statement denying viral reports alleging a rift between its president Aliko Dangote and UBA chairman Tony Elumelu, describing the circulating publication as false, malicious, and baseless. The denial, issued on Saturday by the group's spokesperson Anthony Chiejina, came in response to a viral post on social media titled Aliko Dangote Speaks Out on Why He Distanced Himself from Tony Elumelu which had been widely shared across Nigerian platforms.

Chiejina stated categorically that at no time did the president or the group make such statements or express such sentiments. The denial covered two separate allegations: the claim of a personal rift between Dangote and Elumelu, and the separate claim that the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals project had been financed through personal borrowing from friends including Elumelu, Femi Otedola, Abdulsamad Rabiu, and Mike Adenuga.

What the Viral Post Claimed

The viral post alleged that Dangote had shared details of financial difficulties encountered during the construction of the 20 billion dollar Dangote Petroleum Refinery, which took 11 years to complete. The post claimed Elumelu had pledged 20 million dollars in assistance before cutting off communication, and that other business figures collectively raised 500 million dollars for the project with Otedola alone supposedly contributing 300 million dollars. The Dangote Group described all of these claims as inaccurate and a deliberate misrepresentation of facts.

In its statement, the group said that as a matter of principle, Aliko Dangote neither finances his projects through personal borrowing from friends nor engages in lending arrangements of that nature. The group challenged anyone making such charges to present verifiable proof and stated that the group categorically rejects the claims as false.

Longstanding Relationship Confirmed

The Dangote Group statement specifically addressed the alleged rift, confirming that Aliko Dangote and Tony Elumelu maintain a longstanding and cordial relationship. This confirmation is supported by public evidence from recent weeks. In April 2026, Tony Elumelu wrote Aliko Dangote's profile for the 2026 TIME100 list, calling him indefatigable, resilient, and one of the greatest African entrepreneurs of their era. Elumelu wrote in that profile that when faced with difficult moments of his own, he will often ask himself what would Aliko do. Six years earlier, in 2020, Dangote had written Elumelu's own TIME100 tribute, reflecting a mutual professional respect that the viral post attempted to undermine.

AI-Generated Content Warning

The Dangote Group raised a broader concern in its statement about what it described as a rising pattern of fabricated statements and the unauthorised use of Aliko Dangote's name, likeness, and image in AI-generated advertisements and other misleading content. The group warned that such actions amount to reputational harm and potential fraud and put all individuals, organisations, and platforms involved in creating or disseminating such content on notice to desist immediately, warning that legal action would be pursued where necessary to protect the reputation of the group and its leadership.