President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has left Nigeria for a three-week annual leave in Europe, raising questions over the constitutional arrangements for the temporary absence of both the President and Vice-President Kashim Shettima from the country.
The Presidency announced on Sunday that Tinubu had departed Abuja for Europe, with London, United Kingdom, as his first destination. Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga said the President was expected to return after the working vacation and resume preparations for the January 2027 elections.
However, the Presidency did not announce that Tinubu had formally transferred presidential powers to Shettima before his departure.
The issue has attracted attention because Shettima was also outside Nigeria when Tinubu began his leave. The Vice-President travelled to Luanda, Angola, on August 29 to represent Tinubu at an African Union summit.
Under Nigeria’s Constitution, when the President is proceeding on vacation or is otherwise unable to discharge his functions, a formal notification to the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives is required for the Vice-President to act as President.
As of the Presidency’s announcement of Tinubu’s departure, there was no public confirmation that such a formal transfer had taken place. Premium Times reported that Onanuga’s announcement did not state that presidential powers had been handed over to Shettima.
This does not necessarily mean that Nigeria is without constitutional leadership. The President remains in office while abroad and, according to Presidential Adviser Sunday Dare, Tinubu will continue receiving briefings and remain engaged with government affairs during his leave.
Dare said the President’s working vacation would allow him to rest after months of intense engagement with matters of state while continuing to receive updates from ministers and security chiefs.
The timing has nevertheless generated public debate because Shettima is currently outside the country.
The Vice-President recently completed a separate two-week leave, which began on August 6 and ended early when he returned to Abuja on August 18. (Punch Newspapers)
He subsequently travelled to Angola to represent the President at the African Union summit, meaning both Nigeria’s two highest-ranking elected officials are temporarily outside the country.
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has criticised the arrangement, describing the simultaneous absence of Tinubu and Shettima as creating what he called a “disturbing vacuum of political leadership.” (Channels Television)
The criticism has also prompted wider questions about how Nigeria handles situations in which the President and Vice-President are both outside the country, particularly during periods of heightened security, economic and political pressure.
Governance continues despite Tinubu’s absence
The Presidency maintains that Tinubu’s absence does not mean government has stopped functioning.
According to Dare, the President will remain engaged with national affairs throughout his vacation, while ministers, service chiefs and other officials continue to manage their respective responsibilities.
Tinubu’s trip also comes as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 elections. The Presidency said he is expected to return to Nigeria after the three-week leave and join the campaign season.
The central question, therefore, is not simply whether Nigeria has a government while Tinubu is abroad, but whether the constitutional process for temporarily transferring presidential authority has been activated.
For now, the Presidency has confirmed Tinubu’s three-week leave but has not publicly announced a formal handover of presidential powers to Shettima. That distinction is likely to remain a subject of debate until the government provides further clarification.
