Atiku To Oba Of Lagos: Ultimate Power To Decide Who Succeeds Tinubu Rests With Nigerian Voters

By Ayodele Oni

Former Vice-President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Candidate Atiku Abubakar has maintained that Nigerians, rather than traditional rulers, will determine who occupies the Presidential Villa.

In a hit back at the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, over the Monarch ’s endorsement of President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid, Atiku insisted that the 2027 presidential election would definitely create a vacancy in Aso Rock.

According to him, the Nigerian Constitution requires a fresh election to determine who will lead the country after the expiration of the current tenure.

In a statement signed by 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.

His reaction followed the Oba’s 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.

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 a swipe 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.