VENO tv: POLITICS 2027: OBA OF BENIN BACKS CONTINUITY AS YARI SEEKS ROYAL BLESSINGS FOR TINUBU’S RE-ELECTION Date: 16-09-26
By Kayode Adoide
The Director-General of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, has taken the campaign for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election to the ancient Benin Kingdom, where he sought the royal blessings, prayers and support of the Oba of Benin, His Royal Majesty Oba Ewuare II.
Receiving the delegation at his palace in Benin City on Tuesday, the revered monarch stressed that the Benin throne remained non-partisan but cautioned against changing a government merely for the sake of change.
“The Benin throne is not partisan. There is no point for change for the sake of change.”
Oba Ewuare II also appealed for cooperation among political leaders, arguing that opposition parties could still support a government on matters that promote the national interest.
Yari, in his response, said the delegation’s mission was to seek the monarch’s blessings and support for Tinubu’s second-term ambition. He highlighted what he described as improvements in the economy and foreign-exchange market, maintaining that Tinubu remains capable of moving the nation forward and deserves the opportunity to consolidate his administration’s programmes.
The Benin visit came shortly after Yari led the campaign council to the palace of the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, who openly backed Tinubu’s re-election and declared that there was “no vacancy in Aso Rock” for the next four or five years.
The declaration immediately drew a sharp response from ADC presidential candidate and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who insisted that Nigerians, rather than traditional rulers, would decide the occupant of Aso Rock through the ballot in 2027.
Atiku declared: “Aso Rock is not an extension of your palace.” He argued that there would be a presidential election in 2027 and that no monarch or campaign organisation could determine its outcome in advance.
Meanwhile, the recent abduction of Islamic clerics in Zamfara has also attracted attention because the victims had reportedly attended a prayer gathering connected with Yari. However, contrary to initial reports that they were kidnapped at Yari’s residence, the Nigerian Army said no cleric was abducted at his home. The military said the victims were abducted while travelling from the Sububu forest axis in Bakura Local Government Area towards Talata Mafara.
With the 2027 political season gathering momentum, Yari and the APC campaign council appear to be intensifying consultations with traditional rulers and influential leaders across the country as Tinubu seeks a second term.