Arise Television presenter, Rufai Oseni, has offered an explanation for Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s decision to reject being addressed as Nigeria’s acting president while President Bola Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima were outside the country.
Akpabio recently rejected the description of him as acting president, insisting that Tinubu remained in charge of the country despite his prolonged stay abroad.
Speaking amid the growing debate over the president’s absence, Oseni argued that Akpabio’s position was linked to the constitutional implications of formally assuming presidential powers.
According to Oseni, accepting the title could have created a different constitutional situation and potentially raised questions about the transfer of presidential authority.
Akpabio had earlier said he remained Senate President and Chairman of the National Assembly, stressing that there was no vacancy in the presidency because Tinubu was still exercising his authority from abroad.
“I am not the acting president because the president is still in power,” Akpabio said.
He also maintained that Tinubu was on a working leave and continued to direct government affairs despite being outside Nigeria.
The issue has generated renewed political and constitutional debate, particularly around Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution, which provides for a written declaration by the president when proceeding on vacation or otherwise unable to perform the functions of his office.
Opposition figures and other critics have questioned whether the constitutional procedure for transferring presidential functions has been followed, while the Presidency and Akpabio have maintained that Tinubu remains in charge.
Oseni’s comments therefore add another layer to the ongoing debate over who exercises presidential authority when both the President and Vice-President are away from Nigeria.
