Sultan of Sokoto Denies Backing Tinubu's 2027 Re-election Bid

Alhaji Muhammad Sa'ad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto, has repudiated suggestions that he encouraged Nigerians to back President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's candidacy for another term during the 2027 presidential election. His media office released a statement on Tuesday, signed by Prince Bashir Adefaka, denouncing the claims spreading across social media outlets as untrue and characterizing them as an effort to entangle the esteemed traditional ruler in partisan political activities.

The Sultan's representatives underscored that his institutional duties obligate him to function as an impartial presence throughout Nigeria's varied political environment. The statement asserted that such conduct would contravene his role as a figurehead representing all citizens, irrespective of their electoral preferences or partisan affiliations.

According to the palace, individuals promoting this misrepresentation are acting with calculated intent and financial gain as their underlying objective. Following the emergence of social media posts that wrongly attributed endorsement language to the Sultan favoring Tinubu's re-election campaign, the media office issued its response.

It called upon the general populace to reject these erroneous reports and characterized their dissemination as unpatriotic. The statement made clear that the Sultan has never articulated such views in either open forums or confidential discussions.

This disavowal reflects broader patterns among various Nigerians aspiring to maintain political independence heading into the 2027 electoral process. Through its pronouncement, the Sultan's office reinforced the principle that customary and spiritual authorities throughout Nigeria uphold neutrality regarding elections, functioning as cohesive powers instead of actors aligned with particular political movements.