Tinubu Pledges to Revive Nigeria’s Refineries
Boluwatife Olatunbosun
Tinubu’s 21-Day Absence Sparks Constitutional Dispute
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s prolonged stay outside Nigeria has triggered a constitutional dispute, with opposition figures questioning why Vice President Kashim Shettima has not been formally authorised to act as President.
Tinubu left Nigeria on August 30 for a three-week vacation in London before travelling to Paris, where he met French President Emmanuel Macron. His absence has now exceeded 21 days.
Oyo State Governor and presidential candidate of the Allied People’s Movement, Seyi Makinde, raised concerns about the situation during a North-West town hall meeting organised by the Makinde/Daura Presidential Campaign Organisation in Katsina State on Tuesday.
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Makinde said the President should transmit power to the Vice President when he is away from the country for an extended period, citing his own practice of handing over to his deputy when travelling on vacation for more than 21 days.
“If the President is unable, whether through sickness, a medical trip or incapacitation, to function, we are all human; anything can happen to anybody at any time. If that happens, the President should also transmit power to the Vice President,” he said.
The African Democratic Congress also questioned the President’s continued absence without a public confirmation of a transfer of presidential functions to Shettima.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party cited Section 145 of the Constitution, which provides for the President to transmit a written declaration to the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives when proceeding on vacation for up to 21 days, after which the Vice President performs the President’s functions in an acting capacity.
The ADC demanded to know whether Tinubu had transmitted the required declaration and, if not, why the National Assembly had not acted on the constitutional provision.
The party also rejected the description of Tinubu’s stay as a “working vacation”, arguing that the explanation did not resolve the constitutional questions surrounding his prolonged absence.
Similarly, the African Action Congress presidential candidate in the 2027 election, Omoyele Sowore, called on the National Assembly to invoke Section 145(2) and mandate Shettima to perform the functions of the President as Acting President.
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Sowore also asked Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas to clarify whether they had received a declaration under Section 145(1).
He argued that the Presidency’s description of Tinubu’s stay abroad as a “working vacation” did not create an exception to the constitutional provision.
However, the Presidency maintained that Tinubu’s ability to exercise his constitutional responsibilities does not depend on his physical location.
The Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, said Tinubu remained engaged with government affairs while abroad and could direct and administer the country from anywhere.
“It is funny how opposition candidates are asking the question who is in charge of Nigeria simply because the President and Vice President are out of the country,” Bwala wrote on X.
He added that Tinubu, as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, could continue directing the affairs of Nigeria from any location.
