Why Tinubu long absence dey cause debate for Nigeria?

Nigeria President Bola Tinubu travel out of di kontri for im annual vacation on 30 August 2026, and by dis Monday 28 September, twenty-nine days later, e still neva come back.

Tinubu no also transmit power to di Vice President to act on im behalf.

Dis don dey cause big tok-tok for di kontri as di ruling All Progressives Congress, di presidency and opposition parties dey exchange words ova weda di President dey break di law by staying out of di kontri witout transferring power to im vice.

Presidential tok-tok pesin, Bayo Onanuga, for im post on X on Sunday 27 September, 2026, tok say Tinubu dey on 'working vacation, and e dey perfectly entitled to am.'

"For dis digital age, e no need to be physically present for Abuja to do di work wey for which e dey elected in 2023," Onanuga tok.

Dis don create debate of wia President Tinubu dey as e don postpone im return two times.

Bifor Tinubu comot on 30 August 2026, di presidency tok say na annual vacation wey go last for three weeks.

Den on 21 September, Onanuga announce say di President don extend im vacation "by a few days" and e go return to di kontri "at di weekend". Dat weekend suppose be between 26-27 September, 2026.

Dat weekend come and pass and Tinubu no come back, wey make Onanuga make di post on Sunday 27 September, and tok say Tinubu dey hale and hearty and "e go return home dis week to mark Nigeria 66th Independence Anniversary".

Howeva, many Nigerians including opposition politicians and some legal sabi pipo no too dey satisfied wit di explanation from di presidency, and many kwesion still remain unanswered.

Wia President Tinubu dey?

Most likely, di President dey France, according to tori and fotos wey di presidency don publish in recent weeks.

Di pictures include di one wia Tinubu and President Emmanuel Macron of France dey enjoy state dinner for di French presidential house.

Den e get di fotos of Tinubu, di govnor of Ogun State Dapo Abiodun, and one oga of one foreign company - DP World - as dem sign agreement to develop a deep Deep Sea Port and Blue Marine Special Economic Zone for Ogun State.

So if na to go wit pictures from di presidency, den we fit tok say Tinubu dey for Paris and e appear to be working from wia e dey.

For di first week of im vacation, Tinubu bin first travel to London, but di presidency no publish any statement or story about weda e bin dey work from dia or e just dey rest.

Wetin di law tok about President leaving di kontri?

Dis na di main issue wey dey cause di debate.

Section 145(1) of di Nigeria constitution tok say: "Weneva di President dey proceed on vacation or e dey odawise unable to discharge di functions of im Office, e go transmit written declaration to di President of di Senate and di Speaker of di House of Representatives to dat effect, and until e transmit to dem written declaration to di contrary, di Vice-President go dey perform di functions of di President as Acting President.

Subsection (2) tok say: "In di event say di President dey unable or fail to transmit di written declaration mentioned in subsection (1) of dis section witin 21 days, di National Assembly shall, by a resolution by a simple majority of di vote of each House of di National Assembly, mandate di Vice-President to perform di functions of di office of di President as Acting President until di President transmit letter to di President of di Senate and Speaker of di House of Representatives say e now dey available to resume im functions as President."

While opposition politicians like former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and presidential candidate of di Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, insist say Presido Tinubu dey break di law, presidential tok-tok pipo like Onanuga and Daniel Bwala maintain say di President no break any law bicos e still dey able to carry out im work.

Wetin Nigerians dey tok about Tinubu vacation

Kenneth Okonkwo, di tok-tok pesin for di African Democratic Congress, tok say Tinubu no get regard for di Nigeria constitution, if not e suppose transfer power to Vice as acting president bifor e start im vacation.

ADC na di political joinbodi movement wey some ogbonge opposition leaders form to try take power from di ruling APC.

Okonkwo tok say e no get anytin like "working vacation" bicos di word vacation mean say pesin wan go rest or relax and stay away from work.

As e no write letter to di national assembly to transfer power to im vice, Tinubu bin disobey di constitution, and as di national assembly no call for vote and transfer power to di Vice President as Acting President, dem too go against di constitution, Okonkwo explain for one TV interview.

Also, anoda lawyer and former Chairman of di Nigeria Human Rights Commission, Chidi Odinkalu, tok di same tin say notin like 'working vacation' dey exist for di Nigeria constitution.

Odinkalu who also tok for TV interview, say di arguement wey di presidnt tok-tok pipo fit dey bring up na weda di 21 days wey di constitution tk about na '21 working days' or just 21 days excluding weekends and public holidays.

On di oda hand, Daniel Bwala wey dey also speak for President Tinubu, explain say di word 'working vacation' dey exist, and e mean say even if di pesin no dey present, im absence no affect im official work.

Bwala say di word also mean 'workation' according to di Artificial Intelligence tool Chat GPT, and e mean say even though di pesin travel to relax, e also dey able to dey do im official duties.

Bwala insist say di vacation wey di constitution tok about na di one wey pesin no fit do im work, and dat na wen di president suppose transefer power to im vice, but since di president still dey work, e no do anytin wrong.

According to am, di constitution no need to mention di word 'working vacation' and "dat na di reason why di courts exist, for interpretation. Wia di wordings of a status no dey clear, den di court go dey called upon to interprete".

Dis kain tin don hapun bifor?

Di simple ansa na yes.

For April 2019, President Muhammadu Buhari bin tok say e dey go on "private visit" to di United Kingdo, but e no transfer power to im vice wey be Yemi Osinbajo.

Presidential tok-tok pesin dat time, Garba Shehu tell tori pipo say e no dey necessary to transfer power.

"Di President can exercise authority from wiaeva e dey. Dis na relatively short absence. If you check Section 145 (1) and (2) of di Constitution, you go see say di law go dey infringed upon only wen such absence extends to 21 days."

Howeva, constitutional lawyer, Inebehe Effiong, write dat time say wetin Garba Shehu tok no dey correct.

Oga Effiong write say: "Section 145 (1) of di Constitution impose duty on di President. E no be provision of convenience. Di word used in Section 145 (1) na ''shall'' wey be word of command and not permissive."

"Di Constitution no tok say di President go transmit written declaration if im vacation exceed 21 days. Dat na strange and indefensible attack on di spirit and letters of Section 145 (1) of di Constitution.

Presidents staying away from Nigeria

Buhari presidency record di highest number of days wey Nigerian president spend abroad for medical vacations and oda reasons, mainly for London, United Kingdom.

Howeva, unlike Tinubu, Buhari most times send official letters to di Senate and hand over power to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo during im long leave periods.

President Buhari medical trips include di waka to London for June 2016 to treat Ear Infection, and e spend 10 days; di trip from January to March 2017, wey bin start as 10-day vacation but later extend to 50 days for London sake of undisclosed medical issues.

Di longest na betwin May and August 2017 wia Buhari stay away for 104 days to receive "specialised medical care" for London, while Vice President Osinbajo bin dey work as Acting President.

Late President Umaru Yar'Adua also spend long time abroad from November 2009 to February 2010.

Di presidency bin no even announce say Yar'Adua dey travel to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for treatment and e no also transfer power to im Vice dat time, Goodluck Jonathan.

But as im long absence bin cause big political tension for di kontri, members of di national assembly dey forced to invoke wetin dem call di "Doctrine of Necessity" and put oga Jonathan as Acting President. Yar'Adua later kpai from dat sickness and Jonathan enta power as President.