Vacancy in Aso Rock is certain in 2027, Atiku Abubakar says, after the Oba of Lagos told APC campaigners there would be none for years

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, said on Tuesday, 15 September 2026, that there will be a vacancy in Aso Rock in 2027 because the Constitution requires a new election.

Also read: FG promises 200 new telecom sites before December

The remark answered Oba Rilwan Akiolu of Lagos, who told an All Progressives Congress campaign team on Monday that the villa would stay occupied.

The monarch received the APC Presidential Campaign Council at Iga Idunganran Palace on Lagos Island. The party group was led by its Director-General, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, a former Zamfara State governor, with Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat present.

Oba Rilwan Akiolu said: “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 backed a second term for President Bola Tinubu, urged a peaceful poll and warned politicians not to treat victory as an end that justifies any means.

Senator Abdulaziz Yari said the council had already called on the Sokoto Caliphate and wanted royal blessing before a national drive. He argued the president needed more time on the economy, security and infrastructure, and that the North should repay an old alliance.

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar replied through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication. Some outlets named the aide as Phrank Shaibu. The statement allowed the Oba a personal preference but denied him the right to speak for the country. “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,” it said. “There will be a vacancy in 2027 because the Constitution says so. You may endorse Tinubu, but you cannot endorse him on behalf of over 200 million Nigerians. The people, and not kings, courtiers or APC campaign councils, will decide that through the ballot.”

The text then turned to hardship. “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.” It closed with a reminder that democracy is not a coronation.

Palace endorsements are old campaign theatre in Nigeria. Traditional stools can move crowds and headlines. They cannot cancel Section 132 of the Constitution, which puts the presidency to a vote at the end of a four-year term.

President Bola Tinubu remains eligible to seek a second term. Alhaji Atiku Abubakar remains on the ADC ticket. Neither a “no vacancy” blessing nor a “there will be vacancy” retort counts as a result.

What Monday and Tuesday produced is a clash of registers. The Oba spoke as a host who has known President Bola Tinubu since the latter, as Lagos governor, approved his nomination in 2003.

Also read: FG promises 200 new telecom sites before December

The ADC camp spoke as an opposition that wants the 2027 ballot framed as a verdict on prices and security. Voters, when the register opens and the date comes, will settle which language travels farther.