By Cross Udo, Abuja
The Presidency and former vice-president Atiku Abubakar on Monday clashed over President Bola Tinubu’s continued absence from Nigeria, with Atiku demanding clarification on the constitutional status of presidential authority while the Federal Government insisted that the President remains fully engaged in governance.
The dispute followed the extension of Tinubu’s working vacation, which began on August 30, with the Presidency announcing that the President would return to Nigeria at the weekend.
Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), raised the issue in a statement titled, “Who is in charge of Nigeria?”, arguing that the prolonged absence had created a need for the Presidency to clarify the constitutional arrangements governing the exercise of presidential powers.
At the centre of his argument is Section 145 of the Constitution, which provides for a written declaration by the President when proceeding on vacation, transmitted to the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives, after which the Vice President performs the functions of President as Acting President.
Atiku said Tinubu left the country on August 30 after the Presidency announced a three-week vacation, but argued that Nigerians had not been shown any letter transferring presidential authority to Vice President Kashim Shettima.
*Ex-VP probes Shettima’s constitutional mandate at UNGA
Atiku contended that the issue had become more significant because Shettima is currently in New York representing Tinubu at the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
“So again: who is exercising presidential authority in Nigeria today, and under what constitutional instrument?” Atiku asked.
He called on the Presidency to publish the declaration transmitting presidential authority to Shettima, if such a document exists.
He also asked the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to disclose whether they had received the communication contemplated under Section 145(1).
According to him, if the President failed to transmit the declaration within 21 days, Section 145(2) provided a further constitutional mechanism under which the National Assembly could mandate the Vice President to perform the functions of President as Acting President.
Atiku maintained that the issue was not about political convenience but about constitutional order and accountability.
“Nigeria cannot be governed by assumptions. It cannot be governed by presidential social-media posts from Europe,” he said.
“It cannot be governed by photographs from private dinners at the Élysée Palace. It cannot be governed on autopilot.”
The former vice-president also questioned Tinubu’s absence against the backdrop of developments at home, including the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Minna.
He also cited rising petrol prices, saying fuel was selling for as much as N1,500 per litre in parts of the country, with implications for transportation costs and household expenses.
“These are not ordinary times. Yet the President is abroad. The Vice President is abroad. The Senate President is abroad,” Atiku said.
He further argued that the Constitution did not recognise “working vacation” as an alternative system of presidential succession.
“President Tinubu’s private dinner with President Emmanuel Macron in Paris may serve diplomatic purposes. But Nigeria itself cannot be placed on vacation,” he said.
Atiku therefore urged the Presidency to immediately clarify whether Tinubu had transmitted the required declaration before leaving Nigeria and called on the National Assembly to explain its position if no such communication had been received.
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The Presidency, however, rejected Atiku’s position, describing the insinuation over Tinubu’s absence from the United Nations General Assembly as baseless and irresponsible.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said Tinubu had remained in contact with Nigeria and continued to direct the affairs of government despite his absence from the country.
President Tinubu departed Nigeria on August 30 for London, where he began his working vacation, before travelling to Paris, France.
During his stay in Paris, he met French President Emmanuel Macron and businessman Vincent Bollore, whose media interests include Canal+, MultiChoice and Universal Music Group.
Onanuga said the President had continued to take decisions on important national matters while away, including directing an independent investigation into the deaths of the 37 suspected illegal miners in Minna.
“Since he began the vacation, President Tinubu has continued to keep in touch with home, directing the affairs of the nation,” Onanuga said.
The Presidency also pointed to the delegation of official functions to senior government officials during the President’s absence.
While Shettima is currently in New York for the 81st UN General Assembly, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, has also represented the President at official engagements.
According to the Presidency, Shettima will present Nigeria’s national statement at the global conference on behalf of Tinubu.
The government’s position is that the Vice President’s presence at the UNGA represents the President and Nigeria, rather than indicating any vacuum in the administration of the country.
Onanuga also said political activities had continued during Tinubu’s absence, with the Director-General of the Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abubakar Yari, leading consultations with prominent traditional rulers.
The Presidency said the President would return to Nigeria at the weekend following the extension of his working vacation by a few days.
The exchange has consequently turned Tinubu’s absence into a fresh political and constitutional controversy, with Atiku demanding documentary clarity on the exercise of presidential authority and the Presidency maintaining that the President remains actively involved in governing Nigeria while his deputy represents him at the UNGA.
For Atiku, the central issue is whether the constitutional procedure governing presidential absence has been followed. For the Presidency, Tinubu’s continued engagement with government and Shettima’s representation of him at the UN demonstrate that the administration remains fully operational.
