BY NONYE EKWENUGO, Kaduna
A group, Arewa Think Tank has dismissed concerns over President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s prolonged stay outside Nigeria, saying there is no leadership vacuum in the country and no constitutional breach.
The Convener of the group, Muhammad Alhaji Yakubu, said Tinubu remained in charge of the country and continued to perform his presidential duties while on what the Presidency described as a working vacation.
“There is no vacuum and the President has not breached any constitutional provision. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is still the President, he is still in charge, and he is still running the affairs of this country,” Yakubu said.
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“Tinubu left Nigeria on August 30 for a three-week annual leave in Europe, with London as his first destination. The Presidency later described the trip as a working vacation and announced on September 21 that the President had extended his stay by a few days and would return to Nigeria at the weekend”.
Yakubu said Tinubu’s engagements abroad demonstrated that he had remained active in the discharge of his responsibilities.
He cited the President’s recent engagements in Paris, including his meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and discussions with businessman Vincent Bolloré on investment and Nigeria’s creative and digital economy.
Yakubu said the engagements showed that the President was not merely away on a private holiday but remained involved in matters of state.
The Arewa Think Tank leader also referred to comments attributed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio on the question of presidential authority during Tinubu’s absence.
Yakubu said the position addressed what he described as speculation over who was exercising presidential authority while Tinubu remained outside the country.
“As the Chairman of the National Assembly has said, there is no vacancy. People who are talking are just talking. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is still in power, and he is still running the affairs of Nigeria,” he said.
He also defended Tinubu’s decision to delegate Vice President Kashim Shettima to represent Nigeria at international engagements, describing the arrangement as evidence of coordination within the Presidency.
“President Tinubu is able, capable, and is performing his functions. He has not transmitted any inability. Therefore, there is no constitutional crisis. The Vice President is performing his assigned role with the full mandate of his principal,” he stated.
The debate over Tinubu’s absence intensified after former Vice President Atiku Abubakar questioned the implications of the President being outside the country while Shettima was also away on official engagements.
Yakubu urged Nigerians, particularly those in the northern part of the country, to disregard what he described as attempts to create unnecessary tension over the President’s absence.
