Susan Abayomi
Senate President Godswill Akpabio has dismissed calls for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to transfer presidential functions to Vice President Kashim Shettima, maintaining that there is no vacancy in the presidency.
Akpabio spoke on Tuesday in Akwa Ibom State while attending the commissioning of road projects executed by Governor Umo Eno. His comments came amid renewed public debate over Tinubu’s continued stay outside Nigeria on a working vacation.
President Tinubu left Nigeria on August 30 for a three-week working vacation, initially travelling to London before proceeding to France. The Presidency subsequently announced that his stay abroad had been extended by a few days, with the President expected to return to Nigeria at the weekend.
Responding to calls for Tinubu to hand over to Shettima, Akpabio said the President remained in charge of the affairs of the country despite his physical absence from Nigeria.
“I am the Senate President, and I am not the acting President of Nigeria, because President Tinubu is still in power,” Akpabio said.
He described the President’s absence as a working leave, arguing that Tinubu could continue to direct government affairs remotely.
“The President is on a working leave, so there’s no absence in Aso Rock,” he added.
Akpabio also pointed to Tinubu’s engagements while abroad, including his reported discussions with French President Emmanuel Macron, as evidence that the President remained involved in official matters.
He further noted that Shettima’s trip to New York to represent Nigeria at the 81st United Nations General Assembly did not amount to a transfer of presidential powers.
The Senate President maintained that there was currently no vacancy in the presidency and said the President remained responsible for running the government.
The comments followed calls from some political figures and commentators for the National Assembly to examine whether the constitutional procedure for the temporary transfer of presidential functions should apply to the President’s extended absence. Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, for instance, argued on Tuesday that Tinubu should have handed over to Shettima after being outside the country for more than 21 days.
There has also been public debate over the interpretation of Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution, which deals with the temporary transfer of presidential functions when the President is unable to discharge his duties. Legal commentators have offered differing views on the constitutional implications of the current circumstances.
Akpabio, however, maintained that Tinubu remained in office and continued to exercise presidential authority.
The development comes as attention remains focused on the President’s absence from Nigeria, Shettima’s international engagements and the constitutional arrangements governing the exercise of presidential functions during periods of absence.
