Atiku Questions Who Leads Nigeria as Tinubu’s 21-Day Vacation Ends

Former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who is a presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has questioned who is constitutionally in charge of Nigeria after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 21-day vacation came to an end. Tinubu departed Nigeria on August 30 for a three-week annual leave in France, as described by the Presidency. At the same time, Vice President Kashim Shettima is in the United States, heading Nigeria’s delegation to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). In a statement posted Monday, September 21, on his official social media accounts, Atiku said the country cannot be run from Europe. He called on the Presidency and leaders of the National Assembly to honor constitutional succession rules. Atiku pointed to Section 145 of the Constitution, which states that when the President goes on vacation, he must send a written declaration to the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. The Vice President then carries out the duties of President as Acting President. If the President does not send that declaration within 21 days, Atiku said, the Constitution requires the National Assembly to direct the Vice President, by a simple majority in each chamber, to serve as Acting President. Atiku noted that the 21 days have now passed. He said that if the letter exists, the Presidency should make it public without delay. If it does not exist, he argued, the mechanism under Section 145(2) has been set in motion, and the National Assembly should explain to Nigerians why it has taken no action. He described the issue not as one of political convenience but of constitutional order. Atiku said the situation is even more troubling because Vice President Shettima is currently in New York representing Nigeria at the UNGA. This marks the third consecutive UNGA at which President Tinubu has assigned that representation to his deputy, Atiku said. He again asked who is exercising presidential authority in Nigeria at present and under what constitutional instrument. He said Nigeria cannot be governed through assumptions, social media messages from Europe, pictures from private dinners at the Élysée Palace, or by autopilot. While Tinubu has been overseas, Atiku said, 37 Nigerians died in NSCDC custody in Minna, prompting investigations and suspensions. He also noted that petrol is selling for as much as N1,500 per litre in some parts of the country, making transportation costs worse. Atiku said these are not ordinary times, yet the President, Vice President, and Senate President are all out of the country. Nigerians have not been told, in the clear constitutional language expected in a serious democracy, who is exercising the President’s powers, he said. Atiku said President Tinubu’s private dinner with President Emmanuel Macron in Paris may have diplomatic value, but Nigeria itself cannot be put on vacation. He asked the Presidency to inform Nigerians whether Tinubu sent the declaration required under Section 145(1) before he left, and whether the Senate President and Speaker of the House are aware of any such transmission. If no declaration was sent within the constitutionally required period, Atiku said, the National Assembly must explain why the Section 145(2) procedure has not been activated. He added that Nigeria is larger than any single President, and that amid serious economic pain, climbing energy prices, security problems, and the alarming loss of citizens in government custody, the nation needs leadership that is visible, answerable, and rooted in the Constitution.