2027: HURIWA Raises Alarm Over ‘Palace Politics’, Says Voters Must Decide Tinubu’s Fate

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, has warned that the 2027 presidential contest could be dangerously shaped by influential traditional, religious and academic institutions unless they draw a clear line between their public authority and partisan politics.

The rights group in a statement by its national coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko said the growing stream of political visits to traditional rulers and reported endorsements of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu risk creating an electoral environment where the voices of powerful institutions could overshadow the choices of ordinary voters.

HURIWA’s warning came against the backdrop of reported political engagements involving the Presidential Campaign Council and influential traditional rulers, as well as reported endorsements of Tinubu by the Oba of Lagos, the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, and student leaders representing tertiary institutions across the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory.

The group said the issue was not whether traditional rulers, religious leaders, academics or students could personally support a candidate.

Rather, HURIWA said, the central concern was whether institutions that command enormous public trust should be deployed as instruments of partisan mobilisation.

The association argued that a traditional palace, religious platform or university campus carries an institutional authority that is considerably different from the political opinion of an individual citizen.

HURIWA therefore cautioned that repeated endorsements from such platforms could create the impression that political choices are being settled by influential institutions before Nigerians reach the polling booth.

The group said that would be inconsistent with the principle that political sovereignty ultimately resides with the electorate.

It specifically cited the reported declaration by the Oba of Lagos that there would be “no vacancy” in Aso Rock in 2027, describing such pronouncements as an example of how traditional influence could enter directly into an electoral contest.

HURIWA also questioned the involvement of student leadership structures in political endorsements, saying campuses should remain spaces where young Nigerians can debate competing political ideas rather than institutions being mobilised behind particular candidates.

The association acknowledged the constitutional rights of individuals within these institutions to support whichever candidate they choose.

But it insisted that personal political choice should not automatically become institutional political endorsement.

HURIWA consequently challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission to ensure that the pre-election environment remains open and competitive, while urging security agencies to prevent intimidation, inducement or coercion linked to political affiliation.

The association also called on all political parties to have equal access to Nigerians, warning that no ruling party should be allowed to use the influence of traditionally neutral institutions to dominate the political conversation.

For HURIWA, the real test of the 2027 election will therefore begin long before ballot papers are cast.

The group said Nigerians must be allowed to make their political choices without pressure from traditional palaces, religious establishments, academic authorities or other influential institutions.

It urged traditional rulers in particular to protect the historic independence of their institutions, stressing that the legitimacy of a palace should outlive individual governments and political parties.

“A palace belongs to the people and history; it must not become a campaign office for any political party,” HURIWA said.

The association urged Nigerians to remain vigilant, insisting that no powerful individual or institution can substitute its preference for the constitutional choice of millions of voters.