President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima were originally scheduled to travel out of the country simultaneously, but due to a sudden change of plans, Vice President Kashim Shettima remained in Nigeria.
Concerns had been raised about Tinubu’s whereabouts, as he had not returned to Nigeria one week after his official trip to Saudi Arabia for the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting. The WEF meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, concluded on April 29, 2024.
Before attending the WEF summit, Tinubu had visited the Netherlands on an official trip at the invitation of the country’s Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, on April 23, 2024. During his visit, Tinubu held discussions with the Prime Minister and also had separate meetings with King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Kingdom.
While Nigerians were still concerned about Tinubu’s absence, Vice President Kashim Shettima had plans to travel to Dallas, United States of America, to represent the president at the 2024 US-Africa Business Summit. The summit, hosted by the Corporate Council on Africa, aimed to bring together political and business leaders from Africa, the US, and other countries for high-level dialogues, networking sessions, and plenary discussions at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, Texas.
However, in a last-minute decision, the Vice President cancelled his trip due to a faulty aircraft.
Popular rights activist and lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, expressed his concern over Tinubu’s absence, stating that the Nigerian Government is being irresponsible in light of Tinubu’s absence and Shettima’s planned absence from the country.
Africa24hrs correspondent reported that Adeyanju accused Tinubu and Shettima of underestimating Nigerians.
He mentioned, “Even the Presidency is unaware of the president’s whereabouts, leading me to believe that the president of Nigeria is missing. This government lacks responsibility and transparency.
“Imagine the president of America, the British Prime Minister, the Canadian Prime Minister, or the French President disappearing for a week. Such occurrences are only seen in Banana Republics.
“Even in George Orwell’s Animal Farm, there is more order when the leader goes missing. It’s evident that the country is without direction; sadly, there is no capable leader in this government.
“The latest information we have is that the president’s jet had technical issues, and since then, he has not been seen. Even if he is seeking medical treatment abroad, Nigerians deserve to be informed.
“A country’s president cannot vanish without explanation. President Tinubu is disrespecting Nigerians; even if he doesn’t value them, he should respect the millions who voted for him. There is no excuse for such disrespectful behavior.”
The National Assembly has faced criticism for its silence regarding Tinubu’s absence. Adeyanju expressed disappointment in the Assembly’s failure to fulfill its role of checks and balances, resulting in a governmental void. He emphasized that the Assembly has been marginalized to a mere department within the President’s Chief of Staff’s office. Adeyanju questioned the legitimacy of a National Assembly led by Akpabio, suggesting it operates as an extension of the presidency rather than an independent legislative body. He also criticized the lack of succession planning when both the President and Vice President were absent, leaving uncertainty about who was in charge. Idam echoed these sentiments, highlighting the constitutional implications of both leaders being out of the country simultaneously.
The president and vice president running on the same ticket creates a situation where the vice president can assume the duties of the president through the doctrine of necessity. However, the constitution does not account for a scenario where both the president and vice president are absent from office.
This absence of provisions in the constitution is a clear dereliction of duty by the elected officials, resulting in a government without leadership.
The constitution does not anticipate a situation where both the president and vice president are simultaneously unavailable. Instead, it states that when the president is unable to fulfill his duties, he should transfer power to the vice president, who will temporarily assume the responsibilities of the office until normalcy is restored or in the case of the president’s ill-health, until he recovers.
The absence of Tinubu and Shettima from their duties at the same time has been highlighted by the editor of africa24hrs.com/, who argues that it could lead to impeachment.
According to him, this situation exposes the gap and irresponsible behavior of the president, as the constitution expects the occupant of the post to transfer power to the vice president when leaving the country for any reason.
The failure of both the president and vice president to adhere to the constitution by leaving the country without transferring power is concerning. It creates a constitutional dilemma and demonstrates a disregard for the law.
If we had an active National Assembly, which is not a mere formality, it would have immediately convened and initiated impeachment proceedings against the president and vice president for their reckless actions. This behavior constitutes gross misconduct, as outlined in the constitution, and is a clear case of impunity that warrants impeachment if the courage to do so exists.
