Senate President Godswill Akpabio moved to tamp down demands that Vice-President Kashim Shettima assume presidential authority while President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is abroad. Speaking on Tuesday in Akwa Ibom State at the commissioning of road projects carried out by Governor Umo Eno, Akpabio said there is no vacancy at Aso Rock and dismissed calls for a formal handover.
A statement from Akpabio’s media office published his remarks, in which he argued that Tinubu continues to exercise executive responsibilities despite the absence from Nigeria. He put the point plainly, “I am the Senate President, and I am not the acting President of Nigeria, because President Tinubu is still in power.”
To counter critics who see a prolonged absence as a governance gap, Akpabio said modern communications make remote direction feasible. “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. So, why are people complaining?” he asked, framing overseas activity as compatible with continuing presidential duties.
Akpabio repeated his core claim later, saying, “Right now, there is no vacancy. Asiwaju Tinubu is still in power, and he is still running the affairs of Nigeria.” He pointed to recent diplomatic contacts involving the president, including communications with French President Emmanuel Macron, as evidence that the president remains engaged in state business.
The remarks come amid a broader public debate over the length of Tinubu’s working leave, which the draft said has run for three weeks and was extended by another week. The Presidency has not published a formal return date, leaving unresolved whether an extended absence should trigger a transfer of duties under the constitution.
Akpabio’s intervention is likely to shape the next phase of that conversation by reinforcing the position that authority rests with the president while he is abroad. The standoff between those pressing for a formal handover and officials insisting Tinubu retains control will continue until the Presidency announces a return schedule or initiates a formal transfer of responsibilities.
