FACT CHECK: SULTAN DID NOT TELL MUSLIMS TO VOTE TINUBU OUT — HIS WORDS TELL A DIFFERENT STORY
By Gloria Fraser, MFR
Reports suggesting that the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, called on Muslims to vote President Bola Ahmed Tinubu out of office in 2027 do not accurately reflect his remarks.
Speaking while receiving the Council of the Wise of the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development in Abuja, the Sultan addressed democratic responsibility and how citizens should respond to their leaders.
His words were:
“Insults don’t make things change but go and vote him out because you have that right to vote. The President is doing the right thing, pray for him, and if he is doing wrong, draw him back. The President must listen as a leader.”
Read in full, this was not a directive to Muslims against Tinubu. It was a broader statement about citizens’ democratic rights and responsibilities.
Indeed, the second part of the Sultan’s statement is particularly important:
“The President is doing the right thing, pray for him, and if he is doing wrong, draw him back.”
His message therefore combines democratic accountability with constructive engagement: support leaders when they are doing right, correct them when necessary and ultimately exercise the power of the ballot.
CONTEXT IS IMPORTANT
The Sultan’s media team recently rejected reports suggesting that he had endorsed President Tinubu for the 2027 election, maintaining that his position as a traditional and religious leader should not be reduced to partisan political endorsement.
The same principle should apply here. If his remarks should not be interpreted as an endorsement of Tinubu, neither should they be converted into an endorsement of Tinubu’s opponents.
A Yoruba saying is appropriate:
“Ọ̀rọ̀ tí a kò bá gbọ́ tán, kì í dájọ́.”
A matter should be heard fully before judgment is passed.
And, as the Hausa expression reminds us:
“Gaskiya dokin ƙarfe.”
Truth is an iron horse.
LET THE RECORD SPEAK
President Tinubu’s case for another term should stand or fall before Nigerians on the evidence of his administration’s record—its reforms, achievements, shortcomings and the results experienced by citizens.
The same standard should apply to every alternative seeking the presidency.
Nigeria’s religious and traditional institutions should therefore not be dragged into partisan contests through selective interpretation of their statements, particularly in a country where religion and politics can become dangerously intertwined.
The Sultan’s essential message was democratic: Nigerians should reject insults and violence, hold their leaders accountable and exercise their constitutional rights peacefully.
NATIONAL PATRIOTS POSITION
The National Patriots commends the Sultan of Sokoto for advocating peaceful democratic participation and constructive engagement with political leadership.
We urge political actors, media organisations and social-media commentators to present statements by respected traditional and religious leaders in their proper context rather than assigning partisan meanings they did not expressly convey.
President Tinubu, like every other person seeking Nigeria’s highest office, should be judged on verifiable policies, performance and results.
Let Nigerians debate the evidence, examine the record and make their democratic choices peacefully.
Nigeria needs vigorous political debate—but it also needs truth, context and national responsibility.
Princess Gloria Adebajo-Fraser MFR
President, The National Patriots
Former Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan
Vice-Chairman, Strategic Communications Committee, Buhari PCC 2019.
