Prominent Nigerian State Govt Mentions Nigeria's Acting President as Tinubu, Shettima Travel Abroad
- The Akwa Ibom State Government's official Facebook livestream described Senate President Godswill Akpabio as 'Acting President of Nigeria'
- The post was made during the reception of a new Ibom Air aircraft in Uyo, while President Tinubu was on vacation in Europe
- Akwa Ibom's Commissioner for Information denied the post existed before conceding a social media handler may have made an error
PAY ATTENTION: Mark Legit.ng as a preferred source, and our content will appear higher in your Google feed!
The Akwa Ibom State Government on Tuesday, September 1, described Senate President Godswill Akpabio as the "Acting President of Nigeria" in a Facebook post during the official reception of a new Ibom Air aircraft at the Victor Attah International Airport in Uyo, before quietly editing the description out.
The post, which was part of the state government's official livestream of the event, read:
Source: Facebook
"Arrival of the Acting President of Nigeria, Sen. Dr. Godswill Akpabio, GCON, President of the Senate, Chairman of the National Assembly, at the Official Reception and Water Cannon Ceremony for the brand-new Airbus A220-300, as part of the activities commemorating the 39th Anniversary Celebration of Akwa Ibom State."
The occasion was the formal reception of the aircraft, registered as 5N-CDC, which was among 10 planes ordered under former Governor Udom Emmanuel's administration and handed over to Ibom Air at the Airbus final assembly facility in Mirabel, Canada, before flying into Uyo, Vanguard reported.
Why the title raises constitutional questions
President Bola Tinubu departed Abuja for Europe on August 30 for his annual leave, with London listed as his first stop.
The Presidency said he was expected to return in time for activities ahead of the 2027 elections.
Vice President Kashim Shettima had also been abroad, having left for Luanda on August 29 to represent the president at the 21st Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union. He returned to Abuja on Monday, August 31.
Under Section 145 of Nigeria's 1999 Constitution, a president going on vacation must send a written declaration to the Senate president and Speaker of the House before leaving.
The vice president, not the Senate president, then steps in to perform presidential functions. The Presidency had not publicly confirmed that such a letter was transmitted before Mr Tinubu's departure.
Section 146 of the Constitution reserves the Senate president's assumption of the presidency only for situations where both the offices of president and vice president become vacant, not merely when both are temporarily outside the country.
Information commissioner's response
When contacted on Tuesday night, Akwa Ibom's Commissioner for Information, Aniekan Umanah, initially denied that any such post had ever appeared on the state government's page. After being told that a screenshot existed, he shifted position and suggested the reference was likely a mistake by whoever managed the account, Premium Times reported.
"I don't know. Maybe somebody made a mistake. There's nothing like that (acting president) in the country," Mr Umanah said.
Pressed further, he added:
"Nobody authorised that (reference) here. Maybe the people typing may have made a mistake, but that cannot be the position of the state government."
Mr Akpabio, who governed Akwa Ibom State from 2007 to 2015 before becoming senator for Akwa Ibom North-West District and later Senate president, had attended the event as a central figure in the state's 39th anniversary activities.
President Tinubu is separately scheduled to visit the state to commission projects as part of the same anniversary programme.
Video shows Akpabio allegedly resigning from APC
A viral video circulating on Facebook falsely portrayed Nigerian Senate President Godswill Akpabio as announcing his resignation from the All Progressives Congress (APC), ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The 18-second clip, shared by a Facebook page called The Opposition, featured audio of Akpabio saying, "I write to formally tender my resignation letter from the APC effective today. This decision has not been taken lightly..." The post drew significant engagement, with many users divided over whether the footage was genuine.
Source: Legit.ng
