The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has raised concerns over the simultaneous absence of President Bola Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima from Nigeria, describing the situation as a potentially “very dangerous precedent.”
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, expressed the concern on Monday while appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today, amid a growing debate over the constitutional arrangements for the exercise of presidential authority when both the President and Vice-President are outside the country.
President Tinubu has been outside Nigeria since August 30 on what the Presidency described as a working vacation. Vice-President Shettima subsequently travelled to New York on September 20 to represent the President at the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
The Presidency has maintained that Tinubu remains in regular contact with government officials in Nigeria and continues to direct the affairs of the country. It has also stated that Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, would continue to represent the President at some official engagements while Shettima attends the UN General Assembly.
More Read
However, Abdullahi questioned whether the SGF has any constitutional authority to assume presidential responsibilities in the absence of both the President and Vice-President.
“Is SGF Akume now the Acting President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria? Is that what they are telling us?” he asked.
“Is it the chain of succession that is spelt out by the Nigerian Constitution? Is the SGF, an appointee of the President, the one who should be in charge of the country when the President and Vice-President are not around?”
More Read
The ADC spokesman also accused the Federal Government of disregarding constitutional concerns raised by Nigerians, arguing that the current situation could establish a precedent for future administrations.
“They insult the sensibility of Nigerians, they insult the Constitution,” Abdullahi said.
“What they are doing is dangerous and they should realise that this will end one day. They are setting a very dangerous precedent. Nobody is in charge of Nigeria now.”
Abdullahi also rejected the Presidency’s description of Tinubu’s absence as a “working vacation”, arguing that the constitutional implications of the President being outside the country should be addressed formally rather than through informal arrangements.
He called on the National Assembly to reconvene from its recess and examine the constitutional questions surrounding the President’s absence.
More Read
The ADC spokesman further alleged that lawmakers would be reluctant to take such action because of their relationship with the Tinubu administration.
The controversy comes as the Presidency continues to maintain that the government remains fully operational, with Shettima representing Tinubu at the United Nations General Assembly and the President continuing to communicate with officials and direct government affairs remotely.
The debate centres on the constitutional procedure for transferring presidential powers when both the President and Vice-President are unavailable, with the ADC calling for greater clarity from the government and the National Assembly.
