Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has questioned who is constitutionally exercising presidential authority in Nigeria following the expiration of the three-week vacation announced for President Bola Tinubu.
Tinubu left Nigeria on August 30 for what the Presidency described as a three-week working vacation in Europe.
The Presidency said on Monday that the President had extended his stay by a few days and would return to Nigeria at the weekend.
In a statement titled “Who is in Charge of Nigeria?”, Atiku cited Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution, which provides for the President to transmit a written declaration to the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House when proceeding on vacation, allowing the Vice President to perform presidential functions as Acting President.
He said Nigerians had not been shown any such communication transferring presidential authority to Vice President Kashim Shettima.
“Twenty-one days have come and gone since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu left Nigeria on what the Presidency described as a three-week annual vacation,” Atiku said.
“Today, Nigerians are entitled to ask a very simple constitutional question: Who is in charge of Nigeria?”
According to Atiku, if the required declaration was not transmitted within 21 days, Section 145(2) provides for the National Assembly to mandate the Vice President to perform the functions of President as Acting President.
He therefore challenged the Presidency to publish the letter if it exists and asked the National Assembly to explain why the constitutional procedure had not been activated if no declaration was transmitted.
“If such a letter exists, the Presidency should publish it immediately,” he said.
The ADC candidate also raised concerns over the simultaneous absence of Tinubu and Shettima, with the Vice President in New York representing Nigeria 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 described the matter as one of “constitutional order” rather than political convenience, adding that Nigeria could not be governed through informal arrangements.
“Nigeria cannot be governed by assumptions. It cannot be governed by presidential social-media posts from Europe.
“It cannot be governed by photographs from private dinners at the Élysée Palace.
“It cannot be governed on autopilot,” he said.
Atiku also cited the deaths of 37 Nigerians in NSCDC custody in Minna and rising petrol prices, which he said had added to the economic difficulties facing Nigerians.
“These are not ordinary times. Yet the President is abroad. The Vice President is abroad. The Senate President is abroad,” he said.
He called on the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House to confirm whether they received any communication from Tinubu under Section 145(1).
Atiku added: “Nigeria is bigger than any President. At a time of severe economic hardship, rising energy costs, security challenges and the shocking deaths of citizens in government custody, the country deserves visible, accountable and constitutionally grounded leadership.”
“The question will not disappear: Who, constitutionally, is in charge of Nigeria?”
The post Tinubu’s vacation: Who is in charge of Nigeria? Atiku asks appeared first on Vanguard News.