Godswill Akpabio
UYO, Nigeria — Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday firmly rejected suggestions that he is serving as Nigeria’s acting president, insisting that President Bola Tinubu remains fully in power despite the simultaneous absence of both the president and Vice President Kashim Shettima from the country.
Speaking in Akwa Ibom State while commissioning road projects, Akpabio addressed growing public debate over leadership at the presidency.
Tinubu is currently on an extended working vacation in Europe (initially a three-week trip that began around August 30 and has been prolonged by several days), while Shettima is in New York attending the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
“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 stated. He added that the modern world functions as “a global village” where instructions can be issued over the internet, questioning why people were complaining.
Akpabio emphasized that only he, as Chairman of the National Assembly, has the authority to declare a vacancy in the presidency. “I am the only person who can declare a vacancy and there will be a vacancy. Right now, there is no vacancy. Asiwaju Tinubu is still in power, and he’s still running the affairs of Nigeria,” he said.
He pointed to Tinubu’s recent engagement with French President Emmanuel Macron on bilateral matters as evidence that the president continues to discharge official duties from abroad. Shettima is representing Nigeria at the UNGA in Tinubu’s place.
The comments come amid calls from some quarters for the National Assembly to invoke Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution, which deals with the president transmitting a written declaration when proceeding on vacation or becoming unable to perform the functions of office, potentially leading to the vice president assuming acting duties. Critics have argued that Tinubu’s prolonged stay abroad without a formal handover creates a leadership gap.
Akpabio’s intervention follows an earlier controversy in early September, when the Akwa Ibom State Government’s official Facebook page briefly described him as “Acting President of Nigeria” during a livestream of an aircraft reception event. The post was later edited to remove the reference.
The Presidency has maintained that Tinubu remains in contact with officials in Nigeria and continues to issue directives while abroad. No formal return date has been confirmed beyond expectations that he may return this weekend.
Akpabio’s clarification aims to quell speculation and reaffirm the constitutional chain of command under the current circumstances.
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