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African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s decision to spend his three-week leave in Europe.
In a post shared on X on Sunday, Atiku argued that the president should remain in Nigeria during a period of economic hardship and insecurity.
According to him, Nigeria is experiencing a “disturbing vacuum of political leadership,” despite no constitutional vacuum.
The former vice-president acknowledged that he had travelled and lived abroad but said the responsibilities of a sitting president were fundamentally different from those of a private citizen.
“But there is a fundamental difference between the travels of a private citizen and the responsibility of the sitting President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said.
Atiku said Tinubu’s absence was particularly concerning given what he described as worsening economic and security conditions in the country.
“Petrol priced beyond the reach of ordinary people. Families rationing food. Transport fares that have turned a journey to one’s own village into a luxury. Insecurity that buries Nigerians week after week,” he said.
“And in the middle of all this, President Tinubu has packed his bags for three weeks in Europe.”
He noted that Vice-President Kashim Shettima was also outside the country on official duty, saying this made Tinubu’s absence “even more difficult to understand.”
Atiku argued that presidential leadership required knowing when the country needed the president to remain at home.
“Leadership is not merely the constitutional right to occupy an office; it is the judgment to know when your country needs you at home,” he said.
Using a family analogy, Atiku said a leader should stay present when those under his responsibility face a crisis.
“A father may travel when all is well. But when his roof is burning and his family is trapped inside, he does not pick up his suitcase and head for the airport,” he said.
“That is the issue here. It is not that a President must never rest or travel. It is that Nigeria is burning, and the President has chosen a boarding pass over the fire extinguisher.”
Atiku further contrasted Tinubu’s travel with the difficulties ordinary Nigerians face.
“Millions of Nigerians are being grounded by hardship while their President is airborne. The people can barely afford to move, but the President keeps moving,” he said.
He also accused the administration of being disconnected from the consequences of its policies.
The State House announced on Sunday that Tinubu had commenced a three-week leave, which he would spend in Europe.
Nigeria may not be facing a constitutional vacuum today, but there is a disturbing vacuum of political leadership.
I have travelled, lived and spent time abroad, and I have never pretended otherwise. But there is a fundamental difference between the travels of a private citizen… pic.twitter.com/RFB09ZLIuz
— Atiku Abubakar (@atiku) August 30, 2026
