The Presidency has defended President Bola Tinubu’s continued stay abroad, saying he does not need to be physically present in Abuja to perform his duties as Nigeria’s President.
The response comes amid growing criticism over Tinubu’s prolonged absence from Nigeria and his decision not to personally attend the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, said Tinubu has been on a working vacation and has continued to handle government responsibilities while outside the country.
The Presidency said modern technology allows the President to communicate, hold meetings, issue directives and monitor government activities without being physically present at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Tinubu left Nigeria on August 30 for an annual vacation that was initially expected to last three weeks. He travelled first to London before moving to France. The Presidency later extended the trip by several days.
According to the Presidency, Tinubu remains healthy and has continued to engage in official matters during his time abroad.
His activities have included meetings with investors in France. The Presidency also pointed to Tinubu’s involvement in efforts surrounding a proposed 7 billion dollar deep sea port project at Ogun Waterside, an initiative of the Ogun State Government.
Tinubu’s absence has attracted criticism from opposition politicians, particularly over the fact that both the President and Vice President Kashim Shettima have been outside Nigeria at different points during the period.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar questioned who was effectively in charge of the country and raised the issue of Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution. The provision sets out a process for a President who is proceeding on vacation or is otherwise unable to perform the functions of the office.
Questions were also raised about whether Tinubu had transmitted the required written declaration to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
The Presidency has maintained that Tinubu remains capable of performing his constitutional responsibilities and that his physical location outside Nigeria does not automatically create a leadership vacuum.
Daniel Bwala, the President’s Special Adviser on Policy Communication, separately argued that the President’s constitutional authority is not restricted by geography. He said presidential powers can be exercised from anywhere in the world.
Vice President Shettima represented Nigeria at the United Nations General Assembly in New York while Tinubu remained abroad. The Presidency said Shettima had the President’s full backing and mandate to represent Nigeria at the international gathering.
The Presidency also noted that Tinubu was not the only major African leader who did not attend the UN meeting in person, pointing to the absence of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el Sisi.
Peter Obi had also criticised Tinubu’s decision to spend his vacation outside Nigeria and questioned why the President could not take his holiday within the country.
The Presidency rejected the criticism and said Tinubu’s location has never been hidden. It maintained that the President announced his annual vacation and that his whereabouts were known.
The debate has also raised constitutional questions about whether Senate President Godswill Akpabio could assume presidential authority because Tinubu and Shettima were both outside Nigeria.
Constitutional provisions distinguish between temporary absence and a vacancy in the offices of President and Vice President. The President of the Senate does not automatically become Acting President simply because the President and Vice President are outside the country.
Under the constitutional succession arrangement, the Senate President becomes relevant only in circumstances where both the offices of President and Vice President are vacant.
The Presidency therefore maintains that Tinubu remains Nigeria’s President and continues to exercise his responsibilities while abroad.
Tinubu is expected to return to Nigeria this week ahead of the country’s 66th Independence Anniversary. He is also expected to attend a Lagos premiere connected to a film commemorating the late MKO Abiola and his role in Nigeria’s democracy struggle.
The Presidency’s position is that the key issue is whether the President is able to perform his duties, not whether he is physically sitting in Abuja.
For the administration, Tinubu’s absence from the Presidential Villa does not mean he is absent from the business of governing Nigeria.
