ADC Demands Clarification Over Tinubu’s Continued Absence From Nigeria

By Ladan Muhammad

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council has called on the Presidency to provide an explanation for President Bola Tinubu’s continued absence from Nigeria, six days after the expiration of his initially announced three-week vacation.

In a statement issued on Sunday, September 27, the council’s Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, said Nigerians deserve clear and transparent information about the President’s whereabouts and the circumstances surrounding the extension of his stay abroad.

According to Ologbondiyan, the President’s vacation was originally expected to end on September 21.

“The Presidency owes Nigerians a clear and transparent explanation,” he said, adding that the President’s continued absence without sufficient public information had generated questions and concern.

The ADC PCC said the office of the President is a public trust and that Nigerians are entitled to know where the President is and the arrangements for the exercise of presidential authority while he remains outside the country.

The council said the issue was particularly significant given the economic pressures, hardship and security challenges facing the country.

“The country cannot afford uncertainty at the highest level of government,” Ologbondiyan said.

The ADC therefore called on the Presidency to provide information on the President’s current location, the reason for the prolonged stay abroad and the constitutional arrangements governing the administration of the country during his absence.

It also asked the Presidency to clarify the status of Tinubu’s vacation and the constitutional basis for the current arrangement, particularly as his absence has extended beyond the period previously communicated to Nigerians.

“Nigerians deserve openness, not secrecy,” the council said, arguing that presidential movements and the exercise of executive authority are matters of public interest when they affect the governance of the country.

The ADC also raised questions over reports that the President’s vacation had been extended and that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, had continued to represent him at official functions.

While acknowledging that the Presidency may have administrative explanations for the arrangement, the council said this did not, in its view, address what it described as the broader question of who is constitutionally and effectively responsible for the affairs of the Federal Republic of Nigeria while the President remains abroad.

The ADC said it was joining other concerned Nigerians in calling for greater transparency and accountability regarding the President’s absence and the exercise of presidential authority.

It maintained that Nigerians have a legitimate expectation that the Presidency would keep the public informed about developments affecting the discharge of the President’s constitutional responsibilities.

“The ADC therefore calls on the Presidency to immediately provide Nigerians with a comprehensive and unambiguous explanation. Silence can only deepen public anxiety and fuel speculation,” Ologbondiyan said.