Senate President Godswill Akpabio has declared that President Bola Tinubu remains fully in charge of state affairs. Tinubu is on working leave in Europe. Akpabio dismissed opposition claims of a leadership vacuum. He spoke in Akwa Ibom. He emphasised that modern technology allows seamless governance regardless of physical location.
Nigerian presidents have governed from abroad before. In 2017, Muhammadu Buhari spent months in London on medical leave. Critics questioned his capacity. The presidency argued that constitutional authority travels with the president. In 2020, COVID-19 forced virtual governance. Tinubu’s current absence follows a familiar pattern. The difference is the political context. Atiku is a presidential candidate. Every criticism is campaign material.
Akpabio’s defence is constitutional. The president exercises executive power wherever he is. He signs documents electronically. He communicates with ministers and advisers. Vice President Kashim Shettima acts as needed. Shettima is currently leading Nigeria’s delegation at the UN General Assembly in New York.
Atiku has criticised Tinubu for skipping UNGA for three consecutive years. He argued that delegating the presidency’s seat hurts foreign investment attraction. Akpabio rejects that framing. He says the president’s powers are not diminished by distance.
The political reality is different. Optics matter. A president who governs from Europe while his deputy represents Nigeria at the UN sends a signal. Investors and diplomats watch. They read absence as disinterest. Akpabio’s defence is legally sound. It is politically contested.
The 2027 election will decide whose interpretation wins. For now, Tinubu governs from abroad. Shettima leads in New York. Akpabio defends. The opposition attacks.
Winners: Akpabio, who defends the president. Shettima, who leads a high-profile delegation. Tinubu, who retains constitutional cover. Losers: Atiku, whose criticism is dismissed. Critics who see absence as neglect. Nigeria’s diplomatic brand, if the optics linger. Voters who want the president present.
Bottom Line: Tinubu is on working leave in Europe. Akpabio says he is in charge. The Constitution allows it. Politics does not. Atiku is campaigning. Akpabio is defending. Nigerians will judge in 2027.