There is no vacancy in Aso Rock – Akpabio
President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio has dismissed calls for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to hand over power to Vice President Kashim Shettima, saying there is no leadership vacuum despite the President’s continued…
The story centres on Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s response to questions about President Bola Tinubu’s continued absence from Nigeria. Tinubu’s three-week working vacation, which began on August 30, was extended by several days, while Vice President Kashim Shettima was also outside the country attending the UN General Assembly in New York. Akpabio said Tinubu remained in control of government and that there was no leadership vacuum or need for him to act as president.
The background is a debate over presidential authority when both the President and Vice President are outside Nigeria. Akpabio argued that Tinubu can continue directing government from abroad through modern communications and pointed to his recent official engagements, including contact with French President Emmanuel Macron. The issue has attracted political attention because Section 145 of Nigeria's Constitution provides for the President to transmit a written declaration to the Senate President and Speaker when travelling or otherwise unable to discharge his functions.
What is disputed is whether Tinubu’s physical absence requires a formal transfer of presidential authority to Shettima. Akpabio says there is no vacancy and that Tinubu remains fully in charge. Critics have questioned whether the circumstances warrant clearer constitutional arrangements, particularly given the simultaneous absence of the President and Vice President. The immediate disagreement is therefore less about whether Tinubu can communicate from abroad and more about how constitutional continuity should operate when the country's two highest executive officeholders are away.