Akpabio explains Tinubu's long stay outside Nigeria

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has defended President Bola Tinubu’s long stay outside Nigeria. He said the president is still in charge and is using his time abroad to do things he cannot do here.

But this explanation raises a bigger question than what Mr Akpabio was trying to clarify.

“What he (the president) cannot do here, he’s doing abroad,” Mr Akpabio said.

Mr Akpabio spoke on Tuesday in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State. He was commissioning a road project as part of the state’s 29th anniversary celebrations. Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom and other political leaders were present at the event.

Mr Akpabio responded to a recent post from the Akwa Ibom State Government on Facebook. The post described him as the “Acting President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

He rejected this title, saying Mr Tinubu is still in office. “Just to correct that impression. I am the Senate president and chairman of the National Assembly. I am not the acting president because the president is still in power,” he said.

“The president is still on working leave, so there is no vacancy in Aso Rock.” The Presidency has called Mr Tinubu’s trip a working leave. They said he continues to direct government affairs while abroad.

During his trip, Mr Tinubu went to London and later Paris. There, he met French President Emmanuel Macron. The meeting focused on strengthening ties between Nigeria and France. He also met French businessman Vincent Bolloré about possible investments in Nigeria’s creative and digital economy.

These meetings show that the president has continued his official work while abroad. But they do not explain Mr Akpabio’s claim that the president is doing abroad what he “cannot do” in Nigeria.

If the Senate president was talking about diplomatic meetings, what stops those from happening in Nigeria or through other channels? If he meant investment talks, what activities need the president to be physically present abroad?

This question is important because Mr Akpabio is not just another politician defending the president. As Senate president and chairman of the National Assembly, his words carry a lot of weight.

His statement comes amid public concern about Mr Tinubu’s long absence from Nigeria. Vice-President Kashim Shettima has also traveled abroad for the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The Presidency insists that the government continues to work and that Mr Tinubu is still in charge.

Mr Akpabio’s clarification settles the narrow issue of whether he is acting president. But it leaves a bigger question unanswered: what justifies the president’s continued stay abroad, and what does Mr Akpabio mean by saying there are things Mr Tinubu cannot do in Nigeria?

PREMIUM TIMES reached out to Mr Akpabio’s spokesperson, Eseme Eyiboh, for more information.

Mr Eyiboh did not answer calls or respond to a question sent to his WhatsApp account. This question was about what the Senate president meant by his statement.

For now, Mr Akpabio’s effort to correct one impression has raised another question: What is President Tinubu doing abroad that he cannot do in Nigeria?