There Is No Vacancy in Aso Rock, Akpabio Says as He Defends Tinubu's Extended Vacation
- Senate President Godswill Akpabio dismissed calls for Tinubu to hand over power to Vice President Kashim Shettima during his working vacation abroad
- Akpabio spoke on Tuesday, September 22, in Akwa Ibom state while commissioning road projects and addressed concerns over the President's three-week holiday, recently extended by one week
- The Presidency had not provided a formal return date for President Tinubu as at the time Akpabio made his remarks
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Akwa Ibom state - Senate President Godswill Akpabio has ruled out any transfer of power to Vice President Kashim Shettima, insisting that President Bola Tinubu's extended working vacation outside Nigeria does not amount to a leadership gap.
Akpabio made the remarks on Tuesday in Akwa Ibom State, where he attended the commissioning of road projects delivered under Governor Umo Eno. His comments came amid growing public debate over the President's absence, which began as a three-week holiday and has since been extended by an additional week.
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"I am the Senate President, and I am not the acting President of Nigeria, because President Tinubu is still in power. 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 said.
Akpabio: Only the Senate Can Declare a Vacancy
The Senate President argued that the authority to formally declare a presidential vacancy rests with his office, and that no such declaration has been made or is warranted. "Right now, there is no vacancy. Asiwaju Tinubu is still in power, and he is still running the affairs of Nigeria," he added.
To back his position, Akpabio cited recent diplomatic activity, pointing to communications between President Tinubu and French President Emmanuel Macron as evidence that governance continues despite the physical distance.
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Critics had argued that the President's prolonged time abroad was slowing down decision-making and creating uncertainty at the top of government. Akpabio pushed back firmly on that view, saying modern communications make a remote presidency perfectly workable.
The Presidency had not announced a formal return date for President Tinubu at the time Akpabio spoke. His intervention, however, signals that the ruling All Progressives Congress is presenting a united front against suggestions that the country is drifting without clear direction from the top.
Source: Legit.ng
