Senate President Godswill Akpabio has stated that President Bola Tinubu continues to run the affairs of Nigeria despite his current absence from the country. Akpabio made the clarification while addressing the controversy surrounding the simultaneous absence of the President and Vice President from Aso Rock Villa.
Akpabio spoke in Akwa Ibom State on Tuesday. President Tinubu is on a working vacation in France, while Vice President Kashim Shettima is leading Nigeria’s delegation at the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The Senate President firmly rejected suggestions that he was acting as president. He said, “I am the Senate President and not the acting President of Nigeria because President Tinubu is still in power. He’s on a working leave, and there’s no absence in Aso Rock.”
Akpabio emphasised that only he has the constitutional authority to declare a vacancy in the presidency. He added, “Right now, there is no vacancy. Asiwaju Tinubu is still in power, and he’s still running the affairs of Nigeria.”
He further noted that modern technology enables effective governance from anywhere. “The world is a global village, you can give instructions from the internet. So why are people complaining?” Akpabio asked.
The Senate President also referenced President Tinubu’s recent meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron as evidence of the President’s continued engagement with official duties.