Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for embarking on a three-week vacation in Europe, accusing him of leaving Nigeria at a time when the country is facing severe economic hardship and insecurity.
Mr Tinubu departed Abuja on Sunday for Europe as part of his annual leave, with London, United Kingdom, as his first destination. The Presidency said the trip was a working vacation and that the president would remain engaged with key government affairs while abroad.
But Mr Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the 2027 election, questioned the timing of the president’s departure.
He said Nigeria was experiencing what he described as a “disturbing vacuum of political leadership”, despite there being no constitutional vacuum.
The former vice-president pointed to rising petrol prices, food insecurity, increasing transport costs and persistent insecurity as evidence of the challenges confronting Nigerians.
According to Mr Atiku, the situation required the president’s presence in the country rather than an extended stay abroad.
He also questioned the decision to travel while Vice-President Kashim Shettima was outside Nigeria on official duties.
“Leadership is not merely the constitutional right to occupy an office; it is the judgment to know when your country needs you at home,” Mr Atiku said.
Using the analogy of a family trapped in a burning house, Mr Atiku argued that a leader should remain with his people when they are facing 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.
He then delivered his strongest criticism, saying: “Nigeria is burning, and the President has chosen a boarding pass over the fire extinguisher.”
Mr Atiku also accused the Tinubu administration of making life increasingly expensive for Nigerians, while claiming that millions of citizens were struggling to afford basic transportation and other necessities.
“Millions of Nigerians are being grounded by hardship while their President is airborne,” he said.
The ADC candidate stressed that his criticism was not based on the belief that a president should never take a holiday or travel abroad, but rather on what he described as the inappropriate timing of the trip.
The Presidency, however, has defended the president’s leave, describing it as well deserved after months of intensive engagement with state affairs. Special Adviser on Media and Public Communications Sunday Dare said governance would continue and that Mr Tinubu would receive regular briefings from ministers, security chiefs and other officials while away.
President Tinubu is expected to return to Nigeria after the working vacation and resume his political activities ahead of the 2027 general election.
