By Our Correspondent
Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has challenged the Federal Government to explain who is constitutionally exercising presidential authority in Nigeria following the expiration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s three-week vacation.
Tinubu departed Nigeria on August 30 for what the Presidency described as a three-week annual leave, with London as his first destination before proceeding to France.
But with the 21-day period now elapsed, Atiku is demanding that the Presidency disclose whether the President transmitted the written declaration contemplated by Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution to the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Atiku, in a statement on Monday, said Nigerians were entitled to a clear answer to what he described as a fundamental constitutional question: “Who is in charge of Nigeria?”
According to him, Section 145 provides the constitutional procedure for the temporary transfer of presidential functions when the President proceeds on vacation or is otherwise unable to discharge the functions of his office.
He argued that if Tinubu transmitted the required declaration, the Presidency should make the document public and clarify the constitutional status of Vice President Kashim Shettima.
“But if no declaration was transmitted within the constitutionally stipulated period, the National Assembly owes Nigerians an explanation as to why the procedure provided by Section 145(2) has not been activated,” Atiku said.
Section 145 provides for a written declaration by the President to the two presiding officers of the National Assembly when he proceeds on vacation or is otherwise unable to discharge the functions of his office. The provision further addresses the situation where such a declaration is not transmitted within 21 days.
Atiku said the matter was not one of political convenience but “a matter of constitutional order.”
The ADC presidential candidate also questioned the circumstances in which both the President and Vice President are currently outside Nigeria.
Shettima is in New York representing Nigeria at the 81st United Nations General Assembly after Tinubu directed him to lead the Nigerian delegation.
The development means that, while Tinubu remains abroad on his announced vacation, his deputy is also outside the country on official assignment.
Atiku asked the Presidency and the National Assembly to clarify the constitutional instrument under which presidential functions are currently being exercised.
“So again: who is exercising presidential authority in Nigeria today, and under what constitutional instrument?” he asked.
He said Nigeria could not be governed by assumptions, social-media posts or photographs from overseas engagements.
“It cannot be governed on autopilot,” he declared.
Atiku further linked his concerns to recent developments in the country, including the reported deaths of 37 Nigerians in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State, an incident that has generated calls for investigation and independent scrutiny.
He also cited the continuing pressure of rising living costs and fuel prices, arguing that Nigerians facing economic hardship deserved visible and accountable leadership.
The ADC candidate said the President’s diplomatic engagements abroad, including his reported meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, could not substitute for clarity over the constitutional arrangements governing the exercise of presidential powers.
“President Tinubu’s private dinner with President Emmanuel Macron in Paris may serve diplomatic purposes. But Nigeria itself cannot be placed on vacation,” he said.
Atiku insisted that the Constitution did not recognise a “working vacation” as an alternative system of presidential succession.
“It provides a procedure. That procedure must be obeyed,” he said.
He therefore demanded that the Presidency immediately state whether Tinubu transmitted the declaration contemplated by Section 145(1) before leaving Nigeria.
He also challenged the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives to disclose whether they received such communication.
“And if no declaration was transmitted within the constitutionally stipulated period, the National Assembly must explain why the procedure provided by Section 145(2) has not been activated,” he added.
Atiku said Nigeria was bigger than any individual officeholder and warned that the country could not afford ambiguity over the exercise of executive authority at a time of economic hardship, insecurity and growing public concern over the deaths of citizens in government custody.
“The question will not disappear: Who, constitutionally, is in charge of Nigeria?” he asked.
Atiku, who served as Vice President from 1999 to 2007, is the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress in the 2027 general election.
