ADC demands clarity on Tinubu’s vacation extension

File photo of President Bola Tinubu.

The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council has demanded an explanation from the Presidency over the continued absence of President Bola Tinubu from Nigeria, six days after the expiration of his originally announced three-week vacation.

In a statement issued on Sunday by its Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, the ADC PCC said Tinubu had yet to return to the country as of September 27, after the vacation was reportedly scheduled to end on September 21.

Tinubu departed Nigeria for London, United Kingdom, on August 30 before travelling to Paris, France, where he met French President Emmanuel Macron and businessman Vincent Bolloré.

During his absence, Vice-President Kashim Shettima attended several official engagements on his behalf before leaving Abuja for New York, United States, on September 20 for the 81st United Nations General Assembly, whose general debate began on September 22.

The President was later expected to return to the country at the weekend, but reports filtering in on Sunday evening indicated that his return had been delayed until Tuesday.

Amid the controversy, the opposition party urged the Presidency to provide Nigerians with clear and verifiable information on the President’s current location, the reason for the extension of his stay abroad and the constitutional arrangements governing the country during his absence.

ADC Presidential Campaign Council stated, “The Presidency owes Nigerians a clear and transparent explanation. The continued absence of the President, without sufficient public information on his whereabouts or the circumstances surrounding the extension of his stay abroad, has inevitably generated questions and public concern.

“The office of the President is a public trust. Nigerians who elected President Tinubu are entitled to know where their President is and, more importantly, who is exercising presidential authority while he remains outside the country.

“This is particularly important at a time when Nigeria is confronted by serious economic pressures, widespread hardship and persistent security challenges. The country cannot afford uncertainty at the highest level of government.

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“The ADC, therefore, calls on the Presidency to immediately come clean with Nigerians and provide clear, verifiable information on the President’s current location, the reason for the prolonged absence and the constitutional arrangements governing the administration of the country during this period.”

Ologbondiyan said Nigerians deserved transparency, stressing that the President’s absence and exercise of executive authority are matters of public interest.

The statement read, “The Presidency must also clarify the status of the President’s vacation and explain the constitutional basis for the current arrangement, particularly where the President remains away from the country beyond the period earlier communicated to Nigerians.

“Nigerians deserve openness, not secrecy. Presidential movements and the exercise of executive authority cannot be treated as matters of private convenience when they directly concern the governance of a nation of more than 200 million people.

“The ADC is equally concerned by the reported decision to extend the President’s vacation and the directive that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, should continue to represent the President at official functions.

“While the Presidency may provide administrative explanations for the arrangement, the ADC believes that such explanations do not answer the fundamental question confronting Nigerians: who is constitutionally and effectively in charge of the affairs of the Federal Republic of Nigeria while the President remains away?”

The ADC called for transparency and accountability over the President’s prolonged absence, saying Nigerians deserve to be kept informed.

It urged the Presidency to provide a clear explanation, warning that continued silence could fuel public anxiety and speculation.

‘Tinubu hale, hearty’
The Presidency has, however, assured Nigerians that Tinubu is “hale and hearty,” dismissing concerns over his absence from Abuja and the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
According to a statement by his spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, on X on Sunday, Tinubu is currently on his annual vacation but remains engaged with official duties and activities.
“President Tinubu is hale and hearty,” the statement said, adding that the President is “perfectly entitled” to take a working vacation.
The Presidency argued that advances in technology mean the President did not necessarily have to be physically present in Abuja to carry out his responsibilities.
“In this digital age, he does not need to be physically present in Abuja to do the work for which he was elected in 2023,” it said.
It further cited Tinubu’s reported meetings with investors in France as evidence that he has continued to work while away from Nigeria.
The statement also referred to the proposed $7bn deep-sea port project in Ogun Waterside, describing it as an initiative of the Ogun State Government that Tinubu had recently helped facilitate.
Addressing criticism over Tinubu’s absence from the United Nations General Assembly, the Presidency noted that other African leaders, including South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, were also not present in New York.
“Two other important African leaders were not in New York for the UNGA,” the statement said, noting that Tinubu had announced his annual vacation and delegated Nigeria’s representation to Vice President Kashim Shettima.
The Presidency also criticised former Anambra State governor and Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi for questioning Tinubu’s whereabouts.
“Yet Peter Obi pretends to be unaware of President Tinubu’s whereabouts,” it said.
The statement said Tinubu is expected to return to Nigeria this week ahead of the country’s 66th Independence anniversary.
It added that the President was expected to honour the memory of the late businessman and democracy campaigner, MKO Abiola, by attending the premiere of a movie about his life in Lagos.