The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has strongly criticized the concurrent absence of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima from the country, describing the situation as an unprecedented constitutional aberration and a “very dangerous precedent” for Nigeria’s governance.
Speaking live on Channels Television’s flagship political programme, Politics Today, on Monday evening, September 21, 2026, the National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, warned that the leadership gap has effectively left the nation without a constitutionally recognized authority in charge.
President Tinubu has been out of the country since August 30, 2026, on what the Presidency described as a “working vacation” in Europe. The situation escalated on Sunday, September 20, 2026, when Vice President Kashim Shettima departed the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja for New York to represent Nigeria at the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
The simultaneous departure of both leaders leaves the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, stepping in to represent the President at public events. Abdullahi sharply rejected the legal validity of this arrangement.
”Is SGF Akume now the Acting President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria? Is that what they are telling us?” Abdullahi questioned during the broadcast. “Is the SGF, an appointee of the President, the one who should be in charge of the country when the President and Vice President are not around? They insult the sensibility of Nigerians; they insult the Constitution. What they are doing is dangerous… Nobody is in charge of Nigeria now.”
Addressing the Presidency’s stance that governance remains uninterrupted because the President continues to direct affairs remotely, Abdullahi countered that Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) does not recognize a “working vacation” spent operating from a foreign country.
He emphasized that the Constitution outlines clear protocols for transmitting power to the Vice President whenever the President proceeds on leave or is unable to perform his duties. By opting for an informal arrangement and allowing both executive heads to exit the sovereign territory at the same time, the administration has created a structural vulnerability.
Abdullahi further remarked that under strict constitutional interpretation, bypassing formal succession channels constitutes a serious breach, suggesting that such actions warrant scrutiny and potential legislative intervention from the National Assembly, including discussions around impeachment procedures if constitutional guardrails continue to be ignored.
In response to growing public concern, presidential spokespersons maintained that the government remains fully functional. The administration reiterated that modern technology enables the President to execute his official duties and provide executive oversight from anywhere in the world, assuring citizens that there is no breach of governance or administrative stalled momentum.
Despite these assurances, civil society groups and opposition parties have intensified calls for official clarification regarding the operational command chain while both executive leaders remain abroad.
