2027: Akiolu backs Tinubu, renews Lagos special status demand

File: Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu

The Oba of Lagos, Oba Riliwanu Akiolu, has renewed his demand for a special constitutional status for Lagos, arguing that the state’s peculiar position and burden on national infrastructure warrant special consideration.

Akiolu made the demand while receiving the Director-General of the Tinubu Presidential Campaign Council, Abdulaziz Yari, and members of his delegation, who visited Lagos as part of consultations and mobilisation for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.

The monarch’s demand came as the campaign team sought his blessings and prayers for Tinubu’s 2027 project, after meeting with Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

Akiolu said Lagos deserved special status because of its strategic importance and the pressure its population and economic activities place on its infrastructure and public services.

The renewed demand puts the long-standing question of Lagos’ constitutional and fiscal position back into political conversation as parties begin preparations for the 2027 elections.

While receiving the delegation, Akiolu also backed Tinubu’s bid for another term, saying, “One important thing that I know very well is that for the next four or five years, there is no vacancy in Aso Rock.”

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He, however, cautioned politicians against treating political disagreements as permanent hostility, saying, “Politicians don’t fight; they only disagree to agree later.”

The monarch urged politicians to be honest and sincere in their dealings with Nigerians, while calling on citizens to scrutinise political promises and make responsible electoral choices.

The call echoes a separate appeal by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, who urged Nigerians to examine the promises of politicians before deciding whom to support in the 2027 general election.

The Sultan made the call when Yari visited him at his palace in Sokoto.

He urged voters to consider the credibility of politicians’ promises and the policies they proposed for national development rather than making electoral decisions based solely on campaign speeches.

The Sultan also advised Nigerians to remain vigilant about political affairs and use their votes wisely and responsibly.