The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council has demanded an immediate explanation from the Presidency over President Bola Tinubu’s continued absence from Nigeria, six days after the end of his originally announced three-week vacation.
In a statement issued on Sunday by its Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, the ADC PCC said Nigerians deserved to know the President’s whereabouts and the arrangements governing the exercise of presidential authority during his continued stay outside the country.
The group said Tinubu’s vacation was originally expected to end on September 21, but alleged that the President had yet to return to Nigeria as of Sunday, September 27.
The ADC said the prolonged absence had raised questions that could no longer be addressed through silence, particularly amid the country’s economic difficulties, security challenges and widespread hardship.
“The office of the President is a public trust,” the statement said, arguing that Nigerians were entitled to know not only where their President was but also “who is exercising presidential authority while he remains outside the country.”
The opposition group also questioned the reported extension of Tinubu’s vacation and the decision for the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, to continue representing the President at official engagements.
According to the ADC, the arrangement does not resolve what it described as the central constitutional question of who is effectively in charge of the Federal Government while the President remains abroad.
The party therefore asked the Presidency to disclose Tinubu’s current location, explain the reason for the prolonged stay outside Nigeria and clarify the constitutional arrangements under which government business is being conducted.
It further urged the Presidency to state the status of the President’s vacation and explain the constitutional basis for the current arrangement, particularly following the expiration of the period earlier communicated to Nigerians.
The ADC said presidential movements and the exercise of executive authority should not be treated as private matters where they have implications for national governance.
It called for what it described as “transparency, accountability and respect for the constitutional responsibilities attached to the office of President.”
The group warned that continued silence could deepen public anxiety and fuel speculation, urging the Presidency to provide a “comprehensive and unambiguous explanation” of the situation.
Tinubu’s prolonged absence comes amid heightened political activity ahead of the 2027 general elections, with opposition parties increasingly scrutinising the President’s administration and public engagements.
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