President Tinubu has once again postponed his return to Nigeria due to a last-minute adjustment to his travel schedule, administrative sources told TheCable.
The president was expected to return to the country over the weekend following a weeks-long working vacation in Europe. As of Sunday morning, the reasons for the sudden schedule change remain unconfirmed.
Initial plans indicated that President Tinubu would land in Lagos for an extended stay of up to a week before proceeding to the federal capital, Abuja. However, the schedule has been revised, with the president’s return now likely on Tuesday.
The latest adjustment to President Tinubu’s travel schedule coincides with growing public debate regarding the duration of his absence from the country.
His extended stay abroad has sparked constitutional arguments, with several opposition figures questioning whether full presidential authority should have been formally transferred to Vice President Kashim Shettima after 21 days.
Under Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution, the president is required to transmit a written declaration to the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives prior to proceeding on vacation, enabling the vice president to perform executive functions in an acting capacity.
Meanwhile, Senate President Godswill Akpabio stated on Tuesday that executive authority remains fully intact, asserting that Tinubu remains in control of national governance despite his physical absence from the country.
‘What exactly is President Tinubu doing in France’ – Atiku questions
Reacting to the new schedule, Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has questioned President Bola Tinubu’s extended absence from Nigeria.
In a statement, Atiku’s media aide questioned why Tinubu remained in Paris, France, after the President’s official three-week vacation ended.
He said that while Nigeria faces severe security, economic and cost-of-living challenges, Tinubu remained in France, whereas French President Emmanuel Macron attended France’s international engagements and returned home.
Atiku cited Section 145(2) of the Nigerian Constitution, which provides that the National Assembly may authorise the Vice-President to perform the President’s functions through a simple majority of both chambers if the President fails to transmit the required declaration within 21 days.
Backstory…
Tinubu departed Nigeria on August 30 as part of his annual leave and travelled to London, where he began what the Presidency described as a three-week working holiday.
After spending almost a week in the UK, he travelled to Paris, France. While in Paris, Tinubu met with French President Emmanuel Macron and industrialist Vincent Bolloré.
The Presidency announced on September 21 that Tinubu would return to Nigeria over the weekend after extending his overseas vacation by a few days.
However, this did not happen and Vice President Shettima subsequently travelled to New York on September 20 and represented Tinubu at the opening of the General Debate, with the Federal Government confirming that he would deliver Nigeria’s national statement and participate in high-level meetings and bilateral engagements.
According to the Presidency, Tinubu continued to oversee government affairs while abroad and remained in contact with officials in Nigeria.
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