Senate President Godswill Akpabio has said there is no vacancy in the presidency, insisting that President Bola Tinubu remains in charge of the country despite his absence from Nigeria.
Gatekeepers News reports that Akpabio spoke on Tuesday in Akwa Ibom State while inaugurating road projects executed by Governor Umo Eno.
He said Tinubu’s absence from the country should not be interpreted as a transfer of presidential power, stressing that he was not performing the duties of an acting president.
“I am not the acting president, because the president is still in power. The president is on a working leave. So, there’s no absence in Aso Rock,” Akpabio said.
The Senate president said Tinubu continued to perform his responsibilities while abroad, arguing that modern communication allows the president to issue directives and conduct government business remotely.
“What he cannot do here, he is doing abroad. The world has become a global village; you can give instructions from the internet about anything, so why are people complaining?” he said.
Akpabio also referred to Tinubu’s recent engagement with French President Emmanuel Macron, saying the president had continued his official activities while outside Nigeria.
“The other day, he was with President Macron on a state visit, discussing bilateral to bring things back to Nigeria,” he said.
He also addressed Tinubu’s absence from the United Nations General Assembly, noting that Vice-President Kashim Shettima represented Nigeria at the gathering.
“And then, because he could not make it to UNGA, the United Nations General Assembly, his vice-president went,” Akpabio said.
The Senate president further dismissed concerns over a possible leadership vacuum, saying he was qualified to speak on the position of the National Assembly on the matter.
“There’s no vacancy; people who are talking are just talking. I’m the only person as chairman of national assembly that can speak the voice of national assembly and say there is vacancy and there will be vacancy,” he said.
“Right now, there is no vacancy. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is still in power and is still running the affairs of Nigeria.”
Akpabio also criticised those questioning the President’s absence, comparing their complaints to people asking for a toothpick after drinking water.
“The people who are complaining are like people who are drinking water and say give me toothpick, the water is all for my teeth. They don’t know what to say,” he added.
His comments came amid reactions to the simultaneous absence of Tinubu and Shettima from Nigeria, with Tinubu in France and Shettima in New York for the UN General Assembly. The issue has also attracted criticism from opposition figures over Tinubu’s decision to miss the UNGA for the third consecutive year.
