2027: ‘No vacancy in Aso Rock’ — Akiolu

LAGOS — The Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu I, has declared that there is no vacancy in Aso Rock ahead of the 2027 general elections, expressing confidence that President Bola Tinubu will secure a second term on the strength of his performance in office.

Akiolu spoke on Monday when the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, PCC, Senator Abdul’aziz Yari, and members of the council, accompanied by Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, paid a courtesy visit to his Iga-Iduganran Palace in Lagos Island.

The visit was part of the council’s political consultations with traditional and religious leaders across the country ahead of the 2027 elections.

Also speaking during the visit, Yari and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu described Tinubu as a formidable political leader, with Yari referring to him as the “Generalissimo of Nigerian politics.”

Sanwo-Olu, who led the delegation to the palace after receiving the campaign council members at the airport, described the team as a group of experienced Nigerians comprising former Senate presidents, governors, speakers and senior party leaders.

He said Lagos was a natural starting point for the council’s nationwide consultations, while acknowledging the role of traditional rulers in promoting peace, unity and national development.

Yari said the delegation was at the palace to pay homage to the monarch and seek his royal blessing and support ahead of the elections.

He reflected on the emergence of the ruling APC and praised Tinubu’s political resilience, recalling his political battles as a former governor and his efforts in building the party’s political structure.

Yari urged party members and the media to focus on communicating the administration’s policies and achievements, particularly in the areas of economic growth, youth empowerment and national security.

He said Tinubu had demonstrated capacity to tackle issues including currency stability, inflation and infrastructure development despite the country’s limited resources.

According to him, Tinubu had laid a foundation for Nigeria’s long-term development.

Yari said, “Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is a foundational leader who has laid the foundation, who has done the structural work necessary for this country to develop—not just for the next 10 years, but as far as 25 years and 30 years.

“That we have a President who himself fought for democracy in general and supported him for eight years, but who himself is now on the throne as the Generalissimo of Nigerian politics, and we have evidence to show.”

Responding, Akiolu called on Nigerians, irrespective of religious affiliation, to promote honesty, hard work, critical thinking and sincerity of purpose.

The monarch also endorsed Tinubu’s bid for a second term, stressing the need for unity and peaceful political competition.

“Politicians don’t fight; they only disagree to agree later,” Akiolu said, urging stakeholders to promote a peaceful and accessible electoral process.

Reflecting on his relationship with Tinubu, the monarch recalled that his nomination as Oba of Lagos was approved by the Lagos State Government in May 2003, during Tinubu’s tenure as governor.

He also commended successive administrations in Lagos for the state’s development, while praising Sanwo-Olu and Hamzat for sustaining infrastructure development.

Akiolu declared: “One important thing that I know very well is that for the next four or five years, there is no vacancy in Aso Rock.”

He also urged politicians to avoid treating political disagreements as permanent divisions, citing the history of alliances in Nigerian politics.

The monarch, however, called for special status for Lagos, arguing that the state bears a disproportionate infrastructural and public-service burden as Nigeria’s commercial hub.

He said Lagos accommodates millions of Nigerians and visitors daily and therefore deserves greater federal support to sustain its development.

Akiolu, a former Commissioner of Police, also stressed the importance of integrity, prudent management of public resources and long-term planning by public officials.

He urged the incoming administration to preserve the legacy of Nigeria’s founding fathers while ensuring that Lagos receives adequate federal support.

The visit ended with prayers for divine guidance, good health, peace and national unity.