By NEWSCOUNT Desk
President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has dismissed calls for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to hand over power to Vice President Kashim Shettima, insisting that there is no leadership vacuum in the country despite the President’s extended working vacation abroad.
Akpabio spoke on Tuesday in Akwa Ibom State while commissioning road projects executed by Governor Umo Eno. His comments came amid renewed public discussion over Tinubu’s continued stay outside the country after the Presidency announced that the President’s working vacation had been extended by a few days.
The Senate President said Tinubu remained in charge of the affairs of the country and that his absence from Nigeria did not amount to a constitutional vacancy.
“I am the Senate President, and I am not the acting President of Nigeria, because President Tinubu is still in power. He is on a working leave, and there is no absence in Aso Rock. The world is a global village, and one can give instructions over the internet. So, why are people complaining?” he asked.
Akpabio maintained that there was no basis for suggestions that the President had vacated office or that another person should assume presidential powers.
“Right now, there is no vacancy. Asiwaju Tinubu is still in power, and he is still running the affairs of Nigeria,” he said.
He also pointed to the President’s continued official engagements while abroad, citing recent diplomatic contacts, including communication with French President Emmanuel Macron, as evidence that Tinubu had remained engaged in the affairs of government.
The Presidency had on Monday announced that Tinubu would return to Nigeria at the weekend following the extension of his working vacation.
According to a statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu left Nigeria on August 30 for London and later moved to Paris, France, where he met Macron and businessman Vincent Bolloré.
The Presidency said that while away, Tinubu had remained in touch with developments at home and continued to direct the affairs of government. It cited, among other decisions, his directive for an independent panel to investigate the death of 37 illegal miners in Minna, Niger State.
Vice President Shettima, who had represented Tinubu at some official functions during the President’s absence, left Abuja on Sunday for New York to attend the 81st United Nations General Assembly, where he is representing the President.
With both the President and Vice President currently outside Nigeria, Akpabio’s remarks are expected to further fuel the debate over the constitutional implications of prolonged presidential absence and the circumstances under which power may formally be transferred to the Vice President.
The Senate President, however, was emphatic that no such situation currently exists, insisting that Tinubu remains in office and continues to exercise presidential authority while away from the country.
