The Executive Director of #FixPolitics Africa, Anthony Ubani, has condemned the “no vacancy” comments by Nigerian politicians as the country prepares for another general election next year.

 

From the office of the President to those of governors, the Senate President and other elected officials, many politicians have been declaring “no vacancy” in reference to positions they currently occupy. According to Ubani, such rhetoric suggests that incumbents regard elective offices as positions they are entitled to retain rather than mandates subject to the will of the electorate.

 

Ubani criticised the trend in a statement, warning that the authority to determine who occupies those offices rests with Nigerians through the electoral process.

 

“We hear that there is no vacancy in Aso Rock. No vacancy in one Government House or another. We are told that a second term is ‘non-negotiable’, or that an election will be a ‘walkover’.

 

“Politicians may regard these as harmless expressions of confidence. They are not. Words shape political behaviour, and in a democracy, they also reveal how politicians think about our power. The troubling assumption behind ‘no vacancy’ is that an incumbent somehow owns an elective office beyond the mandate already given by voters. The Constitution says otherwise,” Ubani stated.

 

Citing Section 14(2)(a) of the Constitution, he noted that sovereignty belongs to the people of Nigeria, from whom government derives its authority.

 

A President, he added, does not own the Presidency, a governor does not own Government House, and a senator does not own a Senate seat, as “they hold these offices temporarily, on the authority of citizens.”

 

He further said, “In plain language, the Constitution settles the matter. At the end of each electoral cycle, the mandate returns to the people. An incumbent who is eligible may ask for another term, but cannot claim it. The voters may renew the mandate or give it to someone else. That is why the growing ‘no vacancy’ rhetoric deserves attention.

 

“In June, Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo declared that ‘there is no vacancy in Aso Rock,’ adding, ‘They can even kidnap all of us.’ In Niger State, a senior adviser to Governor Mohammed Bago said there was ‘no vacancy in the Government House in 2027.’ In Kaduna, the state chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria made a similar declaration about Sir Kashim Ibrahim House.”

 

Ubani traced the comments to Enugu, where the Secretary to the State Government reportedly described Governor Peter Mbah’s second term as “non-negotiable” and said there was no vacancy in the Lion Building. Similar language has also surfaced in Delta and Benue.

 

He added, “Traditional institutions have joined in. In September, the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, endorsed President Bola Tinubu and reportedly said there was ‘no vacancy in Aso Rock.’ APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda has described northern support for Tinubu in 2027 as ‘non-negotiable’. Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has used similar language about the President’s re-election.

 

“Others prefer the language of inevitability. Abdul-Azeez Adediran, Jandor, has predicted that 2027 will be a ‘walkover’ for President Tinubu. FCT Minister Nyesom Wike has also described the presidential election as likely to be a walkover because of a weakened opposition.”

 

For Ubani, there is nothing wrong with political confidence. A politician is entitled to say, “Our candidate will win.” A party can argue that its governor deserves another term. Supporters can campaign as vigorously as they like.

 

But “we believe we will win” and “there is no vacancy” do not mean the same thing, he asserted.