RismadarVoice Reporters
September 23, 2026
The Arewa Think Tank has rejected claims that President Bola Tinubu’s extended stay abroad has created a leadership vacuum or breached the Constitution, insisting that the President remains in charge and continues to discharge his duties from outside Nigeria.
Convener of the group, Muhammad Alhaji Yakubu, asserted renewed debate over Tinubu’s working vacation and the application of Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution.
“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.
Tinubu departed Nigeria on August 30 for a three-week vacation in Europe, beginning in London before travelling to Paris. The Presidency announced on September 21 that he had extended the working vacation by a few days and was expected back in Nigeria at the weekend.
Yakubu argued that Tinubu’s activities while abroad demonstrated that he remained engaged in government business, citing his meetings in Paris and continued communication with officials in Nigeria.
“Nigeria has become part of the global village. You can give instructions even from the internet. The President is in constant contact with his officials, service chiefs and ministers. The government is running smoothly,” he said.
The Presidency has similarly maintained that Tinubu continued directing government affairs during the vacation and delegated Vice President Kashim Shettima to represent him at some official engagements, including the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Yakubu also rejected arguments that Tinubu’s vacation had created a constitutional crisis, maintaining that the President remained capable of performing his functions.
“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 said.
The issue has, however, generated competing interpretations of Section 145 of the Constitution. The provision states that when a President proceeds on vacation, he shall transmit a written declaration to the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives, after which the Vice President performs presidential functions as Acting President. It also provides a mechanism for the National Assembly to act where such a declaration is not transmitted within 21 days.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has questioned whether the required declaration was transmitted and argued that the constitutional procedure should apply to Tinubu’s vacation.
Yakubu, however, urged Nigerians to disregard claims that the President’s absence had left the country without effective leadership.
“The President will return and continue his good work. For now, there is no vacuum, there is no breach, and Nigeria is in safe hands,” he said.
