Atiku laments: Nigeria is being governed via presidential social-media posts as Tinubu extends vacation without power transfer
By Ishaya Ibrahim
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has raised concerns over who is running Nigeria following President Bola Tinubu’s extended vacation, and his failure to transfer power officially to Vice President Kashim Shettima.
In a press statement issued on Monday, Atiku who is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), demanded that the Presidency disclose whether President Tinubu transmitted a formal letter to the National Assembly handing over power to Vice President Kashim Shettima in line with Section 145 of the Nigerian Constitution.
President Tinubu departed Nigeria on 30 August for what his office described as a three-week annual vacation. However, Atiku pointed out that with the 21 days now elapsed, no public proof exists to show that authority was officially transferred to the Vice President.
Atiku emphasized that under Section 145(2) of the Constitution, if the President fails to transmit a written declaration after 21 days of absence, the National Assembly is constitutionally empowered to mandate the Vice President to perform the functions of President as Acting President by a simple majority vote.
Adding to the leadership vacuum, Atiku noted that key top government officials are currently outside the country simultaneously: Vice President Kashim Shettima is in New York representing Nigeria at the United Nations General Assembly. Senate President Godswill Akpabio is also currently abroad. President Tinubu remains in Europe, having recently attended a private dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris.
”Nigeria cannot be governed by assumptions. It cannot be governed by presidential social-media posts from Europe or photographs from private dinners at the Élysée Palace,” Atiku stated. “The Constitution does not recognise a ‘working vacation’ as an alternative system of presidential succession.”
The former Vice President highlighted pressing domestic crises that require clear, accountable leadership, including: The deaths of 37 Nigerians in NSCDC custody in Minna. Escalating fuel prices, with petrol selling for as high as ₦1,500 per litre in parts of the country, driving up living costs.
Atiku urged the leadership of the National Assembly, specifically the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to clarify whether they received a constitutional transmission letter from the President, and if not, explain why the constitutional succession mechanism has not been triggered.
