Tinubu extends Europe vacation, sets weekend return

President Bola Tinubu has extended his working vacation by a few days and is expected to return to Nigeria at the weekend, the Presidency announced on Monday.

Tinubu departed Nigeria on August 30 for London to begin the vacation before travelling to Paris, France, where he met French President Emmanuel Macron and businessman Vincent Bolloré.

In a statement on Monday, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said Tinubu had remained in touch with developments at home and continued to direct the affairs of the country while away.

The statement said Tinubu, among other directives, ordered an independent panel to investigate the death of 37 illegal miners in Minna, Niger State, following their detention by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

“President Tinubu will return to Nigeria at the weekend, following the extension of his working vacation by a few days,” the statement said.

While Tinubu has been away, Vice President Kashim Shettima has represented him at some official functions.

Shettima, however, left Abuja on September 20 for New York to attend the 81st United Nations General Assembly, whose general debate begins on Tuesday, September 22.

According to the Presidency, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, who has also been representing the President at official events, will continue to do so.

The statement added that Shettima would represent Tinubu at the UN General Assembly and present Nigeria’s national statement.

On the political front, Onanuga said the Director-General of the Presidential Campaign Council, Abubakar Yari, had been leading consultations with prominent traditional rulers across the country.

The Presidency also described as “irresponsible” what it called the “baseless insinuation” by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and a United States-based lobbying firm over Tinubu’s absence from the UN General Assembly.

The President is expected back in Nigeria at the weekend after the extended working vacation.

Atiku questions vacation

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has questioned who is constitutionally exercising presidential authority in Nigeria following the expiration of Tinubu’s three-week annual leave.

Atiku, in a statement on Monday posted on his verified X account, said the expiration of the 21 days raised a constitutional question over the exercise of presidential powers, particularly because Vice-President Kashim Shettima is also currently outside Nigeria representing the country at the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.

“Today, Nigerians are entitled to ask a very simple constitutional question: Who is in charge of Nigeria?” Atiku asked.

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The former Vice-President cited Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution, which provides for the President to transmit a written declaration to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives when proceeding on vacation, after which the Vice-President performs the functions of President as Acting President.

Atiku said Nigerians had not been shown any constitutional communication from Tinubu transferring presidential authority to Shettima before the President left the country.

“President Tinubu left Nigeria on 30 August. The Presidency publicly announced a three-week vacation. Yet, to date, Nigerians have not been shown any constitutional letter transmitting presidential authority to Vice President Kashim Shettima,” he said.

He argued that Section 145(2) provides a further mechanism where the required declaration is not transmitted within 21 days, saying the National Assembly would then have a role in mandating the Vice-President to perform the functions of President as Acting President.

“If such a letter exists, the Presidency should publish it immediately,” Atiku said.

He added that if no declaration had been transmitted within the stipulated period, the National Assembly should explain why the constitutional procedure had not been activated.

“This is not a matter of political convenience. It is a matter of constitutional order,” he said.

Atiku also criticised what he described as reliance on informal evidence of presidential activity while Tinubu remains abroad.

“Nigeria cannot be governed by assumptions. It cannot be governed by presidential social-media posts from Europe,” he said.

“It cannot be governed on autopilot,” he added.

He further cited the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners while in the custody of the NSCDC in Minna, Niger State, as an example of the challenges confronting the country.

Atiku also raised concerns about the cost of petrol and the broader economic difficulties facing Nigerians, arguing that the country requires visible and accountable leadership.

“These are not ordinary times. Yet the President is abroad. The Vice President is abroad. The Senate President is abroad. And Nigerians have not been told, in the clear constitutional language required of a serious democracy, who is exercising the powers of the President,” he said.

He also referred to Tinubu’s private dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, saying such diplomatic engagements could not substitute for clarity on the constitutional arrangements governing presidential authority.

“President Tinubu’s private dinner with President Emmanuel Macron in Paris may serve diplomatic purposes. But Nigeria itself cannot be placed on vacation.

“The Constitution does not recognise a ‘working vacation’ as an alternative system of presidential succession. It provides a procedure. That procedure must be obeyed,” he said.