The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has said that with the continued absence of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, who is also outside the country attending the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Nigeria is on autopilot.
The party, in a statement by the National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, described it as a violation and a dangerous disregard for the Constitution.
ADC noted that 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.
The party recalled that 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,” the ADC said.
It rejected the explanation that President Tinubu was on a working vacation, and that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, would represent him at official events.
ADC said such an absurdity raises more questions than it answers.
“Representing the President at events and ceremonies does not confer constitutional powers,” the party said, adding that the SGF 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,” the party said.
It added that representation is not governance, and attendance at official functions is not presidential authority.
“Nigeria cannot be governed through ceremonial proxies, telephone calls and press statements issued from foreign capitals,” ADC said.
According to the party, the claim that the president has continued to direct national affairs from abroad only compounds the absurdity.
ADC said the 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.”
ADC said it was particularly worried that the President and Vice-President were out of the country at the same time while Nigerians confronted worsening insecurity, unemployment and an unbearable cost-of-living crisis.
The party said it is a national disgrace that at a time when world leaders are advancing their countries’ interests at the United Nations General Assembly, Nigeria’s President is 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.
Source: Politics Archives – New Telegraph
