ADC questions leadership as Tinubu and Shettima stay abroad

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has raised concerns about who is in charge of Nigeria while President Bola Tinubu continues his working vacation abroad. Vice President Kashim Shettima is also outside the country.

Bolaji Abdullahi, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, asked this question on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday. This comes amid ongoing discussions about what the constitution says about a president's absence from the country.

President Tinubu has been away since August 30. He went to London for a three-week working vacation before moving to Paris, France. The Presidency announced on Monday that he extended his trip by a few days and would return to Nigeria over the weekend.

Vice President Shettima left Abuja on Sunday for New York to represent Tinubu at the 81st United Nations General Assembly. This means both the president and his deputy are currently out of Nigeria.

Abdullahi questioned the constitutional grounds for the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, to continue representing the president at official events when both Tinubu and Shettima are not in the country.

"Who is in charge of Nigeria? That’s the question I think we all have to answer," he said.

"Is SGF Akume now the Acting President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria? Is that what they are telling us? Is it the chain of succession that is spelt out by the Nigerian Constitution?"

He argued that the SGF, being a presidential appointee, cannot take on the powers of the president or Commander-in-Chief just because both are abroad.

"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?" Abdullahi asked.

What the Constitution says

The issue revolves around Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution. This section explains how presidential duties are handled during the president’s temporary absence.

According to the Constitution, when the president goes on vacation or cannot perform his duties, he must send a written notice to the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The vice president then takes over as Acting President until the president sends another notice saying he is back to work.

The Constitution also states that if the president does not send this notice within 21 days, the National Assembly can allow the vice president to act as president with a simple majority vote in each chamber.

This section was added during the First Alteration to the Constitution in 2010 after the controversy surrounding former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s long absence.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who is the ADC’s presidential candidate for the 2027 election, also questioned if President Tinubu sent the required notice before leaving.

In a statement on Monday, Atiku asked the Presidency to clarify whether such a letter went to the Senate President and the Speaker of the House. He also wanted to know why the National Assembly has not acted on Section 145 if no notice was sent within 21 days.

Presidency says Tinubu remains in charge

The Presidency has rejected claims that Tinubu’s absence has created a gap in leadership.

In announcing the extension of the president’s vacation, Bayo Onanuga, his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, said Tinubu has been following events in Nigeria and is still directing government affairs from abroad.

The Presidency also mentioned that Tinubu had asked Shettima to represent him at some official events, including the UN General Assembly.

With Shettima now in New York, the Presidency said Akume would continue to represent the president at events in Nigeria.

The federal government also stated that Shettima has the full mandate of the president at the UN General Assembly and that Nigeria will be well represented there.

NASS should reconvene

But Abdullahi disagreed with the government’s position. He said calling Tinubu’s absence a "working vacation" does not solve the constitutional issue.

He believes the National Assembly should come back to deal with the situation, even though he accused lawmakers of being too close to the Tinubu administration to do so.

Abdullahi also criticized how security and electoral issues have been handled ahead of the 2027 elections. He said the ADC has recorded alleged attacks against opposition members in Rivers, Edo, and Delta states. He accused security agencies and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of not responding properly to these concerns.