Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, has responded to opposition queries. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar questioned President Bola Tinubu’s executive leadership. Atiku’s criticism followed Tinubu’s absence from the 81st United Nations General Assembly. Bwala said Tinubu’s constitutional powers are not limited by geography. The president remains on annual leave in France. Vice President Kashim Shettima arrived in New York to lead Nigeria’s delegation.
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, the COVID-19 pandemic 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.
Bwala’s defence is constitutional. The president exercises executive power wherever he is. He signs documents electronically. He communicates with ministers and advisers. Shettima acts as needed. The vice president’s presence at UNGA is substantive. He will deliver Nigeria’s national statement. He will hold bilateral meetings. The delegation includes the foreign minister and governors. Nigeria is represented.
Atiku’s argument is optics. A president who skips UNGA three years running sends a signal. Investors and diplomats watch. They read absence as disinterest. Bwala rejects that framing. He says the president’s powers are not diminished by distance. That is legally true. Politically, it is contested.
The 2027 election will decide whose interpretation wins.
Winners: Bwala, 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 governs from France. Shettima leads in New York. The Constitution allows it. Politics does not. Atiku is campaigning. Bwala is defending. Nigerians will judge in 2027.