President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has postponed his return to Nigeria following a last-minute change to his travel plans, with the President now reportedly expected back in the country on Tuesday.
The latest adjustment comes days after the Presidency announced that Tinubu, who has been outside Nigeria since August 30 on what it described as a working vacation, would return at the weekend. The reason for the fresh change was not immediately disclosed.
Tinubu had earlier been expected to arrive in Lagos and spend up to a week there before proceeding to Abuja. However, that itinerary has now reportedly been revised.
The President departed Nigeria on August 30 for London, where he began his annual leave, before travelling to Paris, France. While in Paris, he held meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron and businessman Vincent Bolloré.
On September 21, presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga announced that Tinubu had extended his stay abroad by a few days and would return to Nigeria at the weekend.
The Presidency said Tinubu had remained in contact with officials at home and continued to direct government affairs while abroad. Vice-President Kashim Shettima had represented the President at some official engagements before travelling to New York for the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
The latest delay has renewed discussion over the constitutional implications of the President’s prolonged absence from the country.
Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution provides for a President proceeding on vacation to transmit a written declaration to the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives, after which the Vice-President performs the functions of President in an acting capacity. The provision also addresses the situation where such a declaration is not transmitted within 21 days.
Some lawmakers and opposition figures have questioned whether the constitutional procedure should have been activated following Tinubu’s extended absence. A group of House of Representatives members, for instance, called for the National Assembly to reconvene and establish whether the required declaration was transmitted.
The Presidency, however, has maintained that Tinubu remains in charge of government despite his absence from Nigeria. Senate President Godswill Akpabio also said there was no vacancy in Aso Rock.
“Just to correct that impression. I am the Senate president and chairman of the National Assembly. I am not the acting president because the president is still in power,” Akpabio said.
“The president is still on working leave, so there is no vacancy in Aso Rock,” he added.
With the President’s return now reportedly shifted to Tuesday, attention remains focused on the revised travel plans and the continuing debate over the constitutional arrangements surrounding his extended stay abroad.
[THECABLE]
