Phrank Shaibu, media aide to the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar, has said Nigerians, rather than traditional rulers, will decide who becomes president in 2027.

Shaibu was reacting to comments by the Oba of Lagos, Oba Riliwanu Akiolu, who endorsed President Bola Tinubu for another term and declared that there would be no vacancy in Aso Rock for the next four or five years.

The monarch made the remarks on Monday when he received the Director-General of the Tinubu Presidential Campaign Council, Abdulaziz Yari, and members of his delegation at his palace.

Akiolu urged politicians not to treat political disagreements as permanent hostility, saying disagreements could eventually be resolved.

Reacting in a series of posts on X, Shaibu said the monarch was entitled to support his preferred candidate but could not make such an endorsement on behalf of Nigerians.

He argued that the presidency was not a traditional institution that could be allocated by a monarch, stressing that the 2027 election would ultimately be decided through the ballot.

Shaibu also said the Constitution guaranteed a presidential election in 2027, insisting that no individual or group could declare the outcome before Nigerians cast their votes.

He said traditional rulers, political parties and campaign organisations could express their preferences, but the electorate would have the final say.

The ADC aide's response comes as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 general election, with Atiku and other opposition figures increasingly criticising the Tinubu administration.

Atiku has recently questioned the use of funds saved from the removal of the petrol subsidy, particularly amid renewed concerns over funding for public universities and the threat of industrial action by university lecturers.