President Bola Tinubu is expected to return to Nigeria on Sunday after extending his working vacation in Europe, according to sources familiar with his itinerary.
The President is expected to arrive in Lagos, where he could remain for up to a week before returning to Abuja, the sources said.
Tinubu left Nigeria on August 30 for London, with the Presidency describing the trip as a three-week working vacation as part of his annual leave. He later travelled to Paris, France, after spending about a week in the United Kingdom.
On September 21, the Presidency announced that Tinubu had extended his stay abroad by a few days and would return to Nigeria at the weekend. It also said the President had remained in contact with officials at home and continued to direct government affairs during his absence.
The extended stay has triggered a constitutional debate over the exercise of presidential powers while Tinubu remains outside the country.
Some members of the House of Representatives under the Save Democracy Group have called for the National Assembly to reconvene to determine whether the President complied with the constitutional requirements governing his absence. The lawmakers specifically asked the leadership of the Senate and House to clarify whether Tinubu transmitted the required written declaration under Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution.
Section 145(1) provides that when the President proceeds on vacation or is otherwise unable to discharge the functions of his office, he is to transmit a written declaration to the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives, after which the Vice-President performs the functions of President in an acting capacity.
The section also provides that where the President fails to transmit the declaration within 21 days, the National Assembly may, by resolutions of a simple majority in both chambers, mandate the Vice-President to perform the functions of President as Acting President.
The interpretation of the provision has become a point of dispute. Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party led by Kabiru Turaki and the African Democratic Congress have questioned the circumstances surrounding Tinubu’s extended absence.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, however, has rejected suggestions of a presidential vacancy, saying Tinubu remains in charge of the country’s affairs despite being abroad.
The controversy has also coincided with Vice-President Kashim Shettima’s trip to New York, where he is representing Tinubu at the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
With Tinubu now expected back in Lagos on Sunday, his return will bring an end to the extended period of his working vacation abroad.
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