Senate President says Tinubu remains in charge as Makinde renews call for presidential power transfer
Senate President Godswill Akpabio has dismissed calls for President Bola Tinubu to transmit power to Vice President Kashim Shettima, insisting that there is no leadership vacuum despite the President’s continued absence from Nigeria.
Akpabio spoke on Tuesday in Ikot-Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State, where he inaugurated GRA roads constructed by the state government. He said Tinubu remained in office and continued to direct the affairs of government while on his extended working vacation.
“I am the Senate President, and I am not the acting President of Nigeria, because President Tinubu is still in power,” Akpabio said.
“He is on a working leave, and there is no absence in Aso Rock.”
Akpabio argued that modern communication technology allowed the President to continue giving directives while outside the country.
“The world is a global village, and one can give instructions over the internet. So, why are people complaining?” he asked.
The Senate President also referred to Tinubu’s recent contacts with French President Emmanuel Macron and businessman Vincent Bolloré as evidence of the President’s continued official engagements while abroad.
Tinubu left Nigeria on August 30 for a working vacation in Europe. The Presidency announced on Monday that his stay had been extended by a few days and that he was expected to return to Nigeria at the weekend.
The issue has become a subject of political and constitutional debate following the President’s continued absence and Shettima’s departure for New York to represent him at the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution provides that when the President proceeds on vacation or is otherwise unable to discharge the functions of his office, he is to transmit a written declaration to the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives. If such a declaration is not transmitted within 21 days, the National Assembly may, by a simple majority resolution of both chambers, mandate the Vice President to perform the functions of President as Acting President.
Against this backdrop, Oyo State Governor and Allied Peoples Movement presidential candidate, Seyi Makinde, said he would transmit power to his vice-president whenever he was away on leave if elected president.
Speaking at a Northwest Consultative Meeting of his campaign organisation in Katsina State, Makinde said the continued absence of Tinubu was a matter of concern to him.
He said he had reviewed the Constitution and noted that, as a governor, he transmits power to his deputy when he travels or goes on vacation for an extended period.
“Why is this not happening at the national level?” Makinde asked, according to the report.
He said that, if elected president, he would transmit power to his vice-president whenever he was unavailable, adding that he would follow the Constitution “to the letter.”
Meanwhile, former Senate President Pius Anyim defended President Tinubu’s decision not to attend the UN General Assembly personally, saying Shettima was capable of representing Nigeria.
“I really don’t understand why his absence should be an issue,” Anyim said during an appearance on ARISE News.
The Presidency has also maintained that Tinubu remains in touch with developments in Nigeria and continues to direct government affairs while abroad. It said Shettima was representing the President at the UN General Assembly with his mandate.
Shettima is scheduled to deliver Nigeria’s national statement at the ongoing UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday.