Senate President Godswill Akpabio has dismissed concerns over President Bola Tinubu’s continued stay outside Nigeria, insisting that there is no leadership vacancy at the presidential level.
Akpabio spoke on Tuesday in Akwa Ibom State while inaugurating road projects executed by Governor Umo Eno.
He said he was not acting president because Tinubu remained in office and continued to direct the affairs of the country despite being abroad on what the Presidency described as a working vacation.
“I am the Senate President, and I am not the acting President of Nigeria because President Tinubu is still in power,” Akpabio said.
According to him, Tinubu’s physical absence from Nigeria does not mean that presidential powers have been transferred or that there is a leadership vacuum.
“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,” Akpabio said.
The Senate President also pointed to Tinubu’s recent diplomatic engagements, including his meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, as evidence that the President remained involved in government affairs.
He also explained that Vice President Kashim Shettima’s attendance at the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York was because Tinubu could not attend the event.
Akpabio insisted that there was currently no vacancy in the presidency and that Tinubu remained responsible for running the country.
“Right now, there is no vacancy. Asiwaju Tinubu is still in power, and he is still running the affairs of Nigeria,” he said.
The comments come amid renewed public debate over Tinubu’s extended stay abroad. The Presidency had announced that the President’s three-week working vacation, which began on August 30, had been extended by a few days, with his return expected at the weekend.
While the Presidency has maintained that Tinubu continues to direct government affairs from abroad, some opposition groups and political actors have questioned whether the circumstances require a formal transfer of power to the Vice President under the Constitution.
Akpabio, however, maintained that Tinubu remained in charge and that his absence from the country should not be interpreted as an absence from office.
