The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, has dismissed reports that he is backing the re-election bid of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027.
The Sultan said this in a statement issued to newsmen on Tuesday by his Media Team, which was signed by Prince Bashir Adefaka.
The statement said rather than back Tinubu, Abubakar, as the father of all, remains neutral ahead of the 2027 polls.
The statement said: “The attention of the Media Team of the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, CFR, mni, has been drawn to a report circulating on some social media platforms, creating the impression that the Sultan has called on Nigerians to support the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
“Our simple response to the report is that it is not possible for the Sultan, as the father of all, to make such a statement, either publicly or in any other forum.”
The Media Team urged “Nigerians across all sectors of society to disregard and condemn what it described as a malicious and unpatriotic attempt to drag the revered personality of the Sultan into partisan politics for selfish interests”.
The statement added: “Let it be made clear once again that the institutions of monarchy and religion led by the Sultan are institutions of a father figure.
“As such, His Eminence cannot but remain within the purview of that role by offering fatherly, royal and spiritual blessings, as well as guidance, to Nigerian politicians who seek his counsel and blessings.
“The Sultan’s doors cannot be shut against anyone who comes to him, regardless of political affiliation or persuasion.
“His Eminence has consistently demonstrated that he is the father of all and will continue to relate with all Nigerians without discrimination.”
The Media Team therefore called on the public to reject any attempt to misrepresent the Sultan’s position or associate him with the political campaign or candidacy of any individual ahead of the 2027 general elections.
It stressed that Abubakar, by virtue of his position as a father figure to all Nigerians, remains committed to promoting peace, unity, stability and peaceful coexistence among the diverse peoples and faiths of Nigeria.
The Media Team further appealed to media practitioners and social media users to exercise responsibility and restraint by verifying information before circulating reports capable of misleading the public or unnecessarily dragging revered traditional and religious institutions into partisan political controversies.
