THE presidency says President Bola Tinubu is in good health and is expected to return to Nigeria this week after spending several weeks abroad on what it describes as a working vacation.
However, the president’s absence has revived memories of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Muhammadu Buhari, whose absence from the country generated much political hullabaloo.
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, gave the assurance on Sunday amid renewed questions over Tinubu’s prolonged absence from the country and his decision not to attend the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Onanuga said Tinubu had remained engaged with official responsibilities while outside Nigeria and did not need to be physically present in Abuja to continue governing in an era of digital communication.
According to him, the president has held meetings with investors in France and was recently involved in efforts surrounding the proposed $7 billion Gateway Deep Seaport and Blue Marine Special Economic Zone at Ogun Waterside.
READ ALSO: Tinubu travels to France to continue three-week annual leave
The State House had earlier announced that Tinubu left Nigeria on August 30 for a working vacation, travelling first to London before moving to Paris. The Presidency subsequently extended the trip by a few days and initially said he would return at the weekend.
His continued absence has, however, drawn questions from opposition politicians and some members of the public, particularly after Vice-President Kashim Shettima represented Nigeria at the UN General Assembly.
Onanuga defended the president’s decision to stay away from the UNGA, noting that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi were also absent from the gathering.
He said Tinubu had announced his vacation in advance and delegated Nigeria’s representation at the UNGA to Shettima.
Related Articles
The presidential aide also criticised former Anambra State governor and 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi over questions about Tinubu’s whereabouts.
Why presidential absence has been sensitive in Nigeria
Questions over the whereabouts and capacity of a Nigerian president have previously generated major political and constitutional debates.
READ ALSO: INEC challenges Atiku’s suit seeking Tinubu’s disqualification over NYSC certificate
The most consequential example was the prolonged absence of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, who travelled to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment in November 2009. His failure to formally transfer presidential powers to then Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan triggered a prolonged constitutional dispute and concerns over a leadership vacuum.
In February 2010, the National Assembly invoked the doctrine of necessity and made Jonathan acting president while Yar’Adua remained incapacitated. Yar’Adua died in May 2010, after which Jonathan became president.
The episode remains an important reference point in discussions about presidential absence because it exposed questions surrounding the exercise of executive authority when a president is away or unable to perform his functions.
A similar, though formally different, situation occurred under President Muhammadu Buhari. During his extended medical leave in London in 2017, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo assumed the functions of acting president after Buhari transmitted the necessary notification. Buhari was away for months during that period and returned to Nigeria in August 2017.
Those episodes differed from the current situation because the presidency describes Tinubu’s absence as an annual working vacation rather than a period of medical incapacity. The administration has also maintained that he has remained in contact with officials and continued directing government affairs while abroad.
Tinubu expected back for Independence events
Onanuga said Tinubu would return to Nigeria during the week to participate in activities marking the country’s 66th Independence Anniversary on October 1.
He also said the president is expected to attend the Lagos premiere of a film commemorating the late Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, a prominent figure in Nigeria’s pro-democracy struggle.
Related Articles
The latest assurance comes after an earlier expectation that Tinubu would return over the weekend did not materialise, prompting renewed questions about the timing of his return.
For now, the presidency maintains that Tinubu remains engaged in his official responsibilities and is expected back in Nigeria this week.
“We want the president back,” said a political analyst, Obinna Okere. “We know that all is well but there are many issues in the nation that needs the president’s attention, starting from the budget to issues ariund the distribution of the recently launched palliatives.”
He said Vice President Kashim Shettima should have assumed the position of acting president since President Tinubu’s absence so that he could act without let.
