Former Vice-President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has hit back at the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, over the monarch’s endorsement of President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid, insisting that Nigerians, rather than traditional rulers, will determine who occupies the Presidential Villa.
Atiku said the 2027 presidential election would create a vacancy in Aso Rock, arguing that the Nigerian Constitution requires a fresh election to determine who will lead the country after the expiration of the current tenure.
His reaction followed the Oba of Lagos’ declaration that there would be “no vacancy” in Aso Rock for the next five years, after receiving the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council led by its Director-General, Abdulaziz Yari, at his palace in Lagos.
Reacting in a statement issued through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Atiku said the monarch was entitled to support any candidate of his choice but lacked the authority to determine the outcome of a presidential election involving millions of Nigerians.
“Kabiyesi, with due respect, Aso Rock is not an extension of your palace, and Nigeria’s presidency is not a royal stool for you to allocate,” Atiku said.
The ADC candidate maintained that the ultimate power to decide who succeeds Tinubu rests with Nigerian voters through the ballot box.
“The people, and not kings, courtiers or APC campaign councils, will decide that through the ballot,” he said.
Atiku also took aim at political leaders whom he accused of being disconnected from the harsh economic realities confronting ordinary Nigerians, arguing that issues such as hunger, insecurity and the rising cost of living would shape the electorate’s decision in 2027.
“While the palace may be insulated from today’s hunger, insecurity and crushing cost of living, millions of Nigerians are counting every painful day until 2027,” he added.
The former vice-president’s response further deepens the political battle ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with the ADC positioning Atiku as one of the leading challengers to Tinubu’s bid for a second term.
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