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The African Democratic Congress (ADC) says it is a “national disgrace” for President Bola Tinubu to be vacationing in France while President Emmanuel Macron is in New York attending the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

Tinubu, who is currently on annual vacation in Europe, had delegated Vice-President Kashim Shettima to attend the global event.

This is the third consecutive time that Shettima would stand in for the president, a development that has triggered reactions, especially from opposition voices.

In a statement, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, said, “The irony would be amusing if it were not a national disgrace. At a time when world leaders are advancing their countries’ interests at the United Nations General Assembly, Nigeria’s President is holed up in the French capital while his host has left to pursue his own country’s national interest.

“President Tinubu cannot be vacationing in Paris while President Macron is in New York representing France and expect Nigerians to accept that it is okay for their President to continue to hang around in a country after the host has left to attend to more important things. This is not merely poor optics. It is a national embarrassment.”

He described the continued absence of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, while Vice-President Kashim Shettima is outside Nigeria, as a “dangerous disregard for the Constitution.”

The ADC spokesman said it was particularly troubling that the President and Vice-President were simultaneously absent while Nigerians confronted worsening insecurity, unemployment and an unbearable cost-of-living crisis.

Abdullahi called on the Presidency and the National Assembly to provide a direct answer to one question: “Who presently exercises the constitutional powers of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and under what provision of the Constitution?”

He said Section 145 of the Constitution requires the President, when proceeding on vacation for a period of up to 21 days, to transmit a written declaration to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, after which the Vice-President performs the functions of Acting President.

Abdullahi said, “President Tinubu left Nigeria on 30 August and has now been away for more than 21 days. We therefore demand to know whether the required declaration was transmitted by the President. If he did not, we would like to know why the National Assembly has ignored Section 145 of the Constitution.”

He also rejected the Presidency’s explanation that the President was on a “working vacation” or that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, would represent President Tinubu at official events, dismissing it as “an absurdity that raises more questions than it answers.

“Representing the President at events and ceremonies does not confer constitutional powers. The Secretary to the Government of the Federation is a mere appointee of the President. He may attend events or deliver speeches on the President’s behalf, but he cannot exercise the constitutional powers of the President or Acting President,” he said.

“Representation is not governance. Attendance at official functions is not presidential authority. Nigeria cannot be governed through ceremonial proxies, telephone calls and press statements issued from foreign capitals.”

He added that the claim that the President has continued to direct national affairs from abroad only “compounds the absurdity”, saying that a so-called “working vacation” does not remove the President’s constitutional obligations under Section 145.

“There is no constitutional category known as a ‘working vacation’. Presidential authority cannot be transferred by convenience, protocol or press statement. Nigeria is a constitutional democracy, not a private enterprise to be managed remotely from a holiday destination.”

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The Presidency has rubbished questions over who is currently in charge of Nigeria, insisting that President Bola Tinubu can continue to exercise his constitutional powers from anywhere in the world.

Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, made the position known in a post on X on Monday while responding to questions raised by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi over the President’s absence from the country.

Tinubu is currently in Europe after extending his working vacation, while Vice President Kashim Shettima is in New York representing Nigeria at the 81st United Nations General Assembly. The State House said Tinubu is expected to return to Nigeria at the weekend.

Bwala argued that the President’s ability to govern is not dependent on his physical location, saying his constitutional responsibilities can be exercised even while he is outside Nigeria.

“It is funny how opposition candidates are asking the question who is in charge of Nigeria simply because the President and Vice President are out of the country,” Bwala said.

He added that, as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, the President could issue orders, give directives, delegate responsibilities and exercise his constitutional functions while abroad.

Bwala also challenged Atiku and Obi to explain what he described as a clear alternative to the Tinubu administration, accusing them of relying on what he called “populist rhetoric.”

His comments came amid renewed debate over the constitutional implications of Tinubu’s prolonged absence from Nigeria.

Atiku had questioned whether Tinubu transmitted a written declaration to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives under Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution before proceeding on vacation.

Section 145 provides for a written declaration when the President proceeds on vacation or is otherwise unable to discharge the functions of his office. It also provides for the Vice-President to perform the functions of President as Acting President in the circumstances specified by the Constitution.

The Presidency, however, maintains that Tinubu has remained engaged in the affairs of government while abroad. The State House said the President has continued to communicate with officials and direct government business, citing his order for an independent investigation into the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in Niger State as one of the decisions taken during his absence.

The development has placed renewed focus on the constitutional distinction between a President exercising his powers while abroad and the circumstances under which the Section 145 procedure applies.

For now, the Presidency maintains that Tinubu remains in charge of the government despite his absence from Nigeria, while opposition figures continue to question the constitutional arrangements surrounding his extended stay abroad.

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The Anambra State Government has challenged former governor Peter Obi to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race, alleging that he failed to keep past promises concerning the state’s debt profile and the payment of workers’ salaries.

The government made the challenge on Tuesday in a post on its official X account, citing statements allegedly made by Obi during his tenure as governor of Anambra State.

According to the state government, Obi had previously pledged to quit the presidential contest if it could be established that he left Anambra with outstanding debts. It also alleged that he had promised to resign as governor if workers’ salaries were not paid as and when due.

The government argued that both conditions were not met, claiming that Obi left office in 2014 with outstanding salary arrears.

“Obi vowed to quit the presidential race if proven he left Anambra in debt. As governor, he vowed to resign if workers weren’t paid on time. He broke both. He left office in 2014 with heavier arrears,” the government stated.

To support its claim, the state government published a letter dated April 25, 2006, purportedly signed by Chuks Iloegbunam, who was then Obi’s Chief of Staff.

The letter, titled “Gubernatorial Prerogative,” contained what it described as a special appeal to the governor to address salary arrears owed to workers of the Anambra State Water Corporation.

The document stated that workers of the corporation had not received their salaries since February, while its monthly wage bill was estimated at about N15 million.

The letter appealed to Obi to include the Water Corporation among government agencies whose workers were paid through regular government subventions, arguing that such an arrangement would prevent repeated visits to the governor’s office over unpaid salaries.

“Since it is Your Excellency’s unchanging desire to achieve a better future for our children and children’s children, please, Sir, bear in mind that officials of the Water Corporation also have children who are looking to your compassionate leadership,” the letter stated.

It further appealed to the governor to ensure that the workers were paid regularly, noting that the corporation’s monthly salary requirement was about N15 million.

“Because you have a very busy schedule, I appeal to you to please include the Water Corporation in the league of Government parastatals that are paid through subventions. In this way, the workers will not come to Your Excellency’s office every month to distract your attention on account of unpaid salaries,” the letter added.

The latest exchange comes as political activity intensifies ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with Obi expected to remain one of the prominent figures in the emerging opposition political realignment.

Obi, who served as Anambra governor from 2006 to 2013, returned to the national political spotlight after contesting the 2023 presidential election on the Labour Party platform. He has since been associated with efforts to build a broader political coalition ahead of the 2027 election.

The Anambra government’s latest claim centres on Obi’s record while in office and his previously reported statements on debt and workers’ welfare.

However, the document released by the state government specifically concerns salary arrears owed to Water Corporation workers in 2006. The document, by itself, does not establish the total salary arrears allegedly outstanding when Obi left office in 2014.

Obi and his political camp would have to respond to the state government’s latest allegations for their position on the document and the broader claims to be established.