Nigeria Can’t Be Governed By Presidential Social-Media Posts From Europe, Atiku Tells Tinubu, Lawmakers

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has questioned who is constitutionally in charge of Nigeria, saying the country cannot be governed by presidential social-media posts from Europe.

Atiku stated this on Sunday, September 21, 2026, in a statement titled “Who is in Charge of Nigeria?” issued 21 days after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu left the country on a three-week annual vacation.

He said Nigerians are entitled to ask a simple constitutional question as the President remains abroad without public evidence of a formal transmission of power.

“Twenty-one days have come and gone since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu left Nigeria on what the Presidency described as a three-week annual vacation. Today, Nigerians are entitled to ask a very simple constitutional question: Who is in charge of Nigeria?” Atiku said.

Citing Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution, Atiku noted that whenever the President proceeds on vacation, he shall transmit a written declaration to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, whereupon the Vice President performs the functions of President as Acting President.

He added that where the President fails to transmit that declaration within 21 days, the Constitution provides that the National Assembly shall, by a simple majority of each House, mandate the Vice President to perform the functions of President as Acting President.

Atiku said President Tinubu left Nigeria on August 30 and the Presidency announced a three-week vacation, yet Nigerians have not been shown any constitutional letter transmitting presidential authority to Vice President Kashim Shettima.

“The 21 days have now elapsed. If such a letter exists, the Presidency should publish it immediately. If it does not, then the constitutional mechanism contemplated by Section 145(2) has been triggered, and the National Assembly owes Nigerians an explanation as to why it has not acted,” he said.

According to him, the matter goes beyond political convenience and borders on constitutional order.

He described the situation as more disturbing because Vice President Shettima is presently in New York representing Nigeria at the United Nations General Assembly, the third consecutive UNGA at which President Tinubu has delegated representation to his deputy.

“So again: who is exercising presidential authority in Nigeria today, and under what constitutional instrument? Nigeria cannot be governed by assumptions. It cannot be governed by presidential social-media posts from Europe. It cannot be governed by photographs from private dinners at the Élysée Palace. It cannot be governed on autopilot,” Atiku stated.

The former vice president and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) noted that while the President has been abroad, 37 Nigerians died in NSCDC custody in Minna, an incident that triggered investigations and calls for independent scrutiny, while petrol is selling for as much as ₦1,500 per litre in parts of the country.

“These are not ordinary times. Yet the President is abroad. The Vice President is abroad. The Senate President is abroad. And Nigerians have not been told, in the clear constitutional language required of a serious democracy, who is exercising the powers of the President,” he said.

Atiku said President Tinubu’s private dinner with President Emmanuel Macron in Paris may serve diplomatic purposes, but Nigeria cannot be placed on vacation, adding that the Constitution does not recognise a “working vacation” as an alternative system of presidential succession.

He called on the Presidency to immediately disclose whether President Tinubu transmitted the declaration contemplated by Section 145(1) before leaving, and urged the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House to tell Nigerians whether such communication was received.

“And if no declaration was transmitted within the constitutionally stipulated period, the National Assembly must explain why the procedure provided by Section 145(2) has not been activated.

“Nigeria is bigger than any President. At a time of severe economic hardship, rising energy costs, security challenges and the shocking deaths of citizens in government custody, the country deserves visible, accountable and constitutionally grounded leadership. The question will not disappear: Who, constitutionally, is in charge of Nigeria?” Atiku added.