Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has criticised President Bola Tinubu over his decision to leave Nigeria for a three-week vacation, saying the country needs strong political leadership at a time of serious economic and security challenges.
The Presidency announced on Sunday that Tinubu had departed Abuja for Europe for a three-week vacation as part of his annual leave.
Reacting in a post on his X account, Atiku questioned the timing of the President’s trip, particularly as Vice President Kashim Shettima is also outside the country. He described the situation as a “disturbing vacuum of political leadership.”
“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 and the responsibility of the sitting President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Atiku wrote.
Atiku Points to Rising Economic Hardship
Atiku said Nigerians are struggling with the impact of high petrol prices, food insecurity, rising transport costs and worsening insecurity.
He argued that the President should be concentrating on addressing these problems rather than spending three weeks abroad.
“Consider what Bola Tinubu is leaving behind. 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. And in the middle of all this, President Tinubu has packed his bags for three weeks in Europe.
“The Vice President is abroad on official duty. That makes the President’s decision even more difficult to understand. Leadership is not merely the constitutional right to occupy an office; it is the judgment to know when your country needs you at home.
“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.
“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.”
The former Vice President further argued that millions of Nigerians are struggling under the weight of economic hardship while the President continues to travel.
“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.”
Atiku said a government that was unable to understand the difficulties faced by citizens would lack the commitment needed to tackle those challenges effectively.
He also accused the Tinubu administration of making the cost of living increasingly expensive for Nigerians, while promising that he would work to make the country more affordable.
Presidency Gives Details of Tinubu’s Trip
The Presidency maintained that Tinubu’s trip is part of his annual leave. The President is expected to return to Nigeria after the working vacation and resume his activities ahead of the January 2027 general elections.
The development comes as political parties and potential candidates begin preparing for the next election cycle, with economic conditions, security and the cost of living expected to remain major issues in the political debate.
