‘Who is in charge of Nigeria?’, they ask
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by Kabiru Turaki, have questioned President Bola Tinubu’s absence from the country and demanded clarification on who is constitutionally exercising presidential powers.
Tinubu left Nigeria on August 30 for London, where he began what the presidency described as a working vacation. After spending a week in the UK, he travelled to Paris, France.
On Monday, Tinubu extended his overseas vacation by a few days and is expected to return to Nigeria by the weekend.
In a statement issued on Monday, Atiku, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) standard-bearer, cited section 145 of the 1999 constitution, which requires the president to transmit a written declaration to the president of the senate and speaker of the house of representatives when proceeding on vacation, allowing the vice-president to assume the functions of president as acting president.
Atiku said if the president is unable or fails to transmit the written declaration within 21 days, the national assembly is required to mandate the vice-president to perform the functions of president in an acting capacity.
“Today, Nigerians are entitled to ask a very simple constitutional question: Who is in charge of Nigeria? Section 145 of the Constitution is not ambiguous about presidential vacations. This is not a matter of political convenience. It is a matter of constitutional order,” Atiku said.
“The situation is made even more disturbing by the fact that Vice President Shettima is himself presently in New York representing Nigeria at the United Nations General Assembly — the third consecutive UN General Assembly at which President Tinubu has delegated Nigeria’s representation to his deputy.
“So again: who is exercising presidential authority in Nigeria today, and under what constitutional instrument? Nigeria cannot be governed by assumptions. It cannot be governed by presidential social-media posts from Europe. It cannot be governed by photographs from private dinners at the Élysée Palace. It cannot be governed on autopilot.
“The Presidency should therefore tell Nigerians immediately whether President Tinubu transmitted the declaration contemplated by Section 145(1) before leaving the country.
“The President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House should equally tell Nigerians whether such a communication was received. 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.
“Nigeria is bigger than any President. At a time of severe economic hardship, rising energy costs, security challenges and the shocking deaths of citizens in government custody, the country deserves visible, accountable and constitutionally grounded leadership. The question will not disappear: Who, constitutionally, is in charge of Nigeria?
In a separate statement, Ini Ememobong, spokesperson for the Turaki-led faction of the PDP, criticised the absence of Tinubu and Shettima from the country amid “rising insecurity and economic hardship”.
“Nigerians are hereby called upon to note the disrespect and disdain that the Presidency has shown us for asking questions and demanding that our President execute the responsibilities of his office,” Ememobong said.
Ememobong urged Nigerians to keep the issue in mind when making their choices in the January presidential election, saying the country needs a president who is “ready, willing and able” to discharge the responsibilities of the office.
