Former Vice President and 2027 presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has faulted President Bola Tinubu for embarking on a three-week leave in Europe while Vice President Kashim Shettima is also out of the country.
Shettima recently departed Abuja for Luanda, Angola, to represent President Tinubu at the 21st Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union. In a statement released on Sunday, Atiku argued that the simultaneous absence of both leaders creates a disturbing vacuum of political leadership during a period of economic hardship.
Atiku questioned the timing of the President’s departure, highlighting the sharp rise in petrol prices, soaring food costs, elevated transport fares, and ongoing security challenges facing citizens across the country. He noted that while private citizens have the freedom to travel, a sitting head of state carries unique responsibilities that require sound judgment during times of national difficulty.
“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, and insecurity that buries Nigerians week after week,” Atiku stated. “The Vice President is abroad on official duty, making 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.”
Comparing the national situation to a domestic crisis, Atiku remarked that a leader should remain present when citizens are struggling. He added that the decision to travel for three weeks demonstrates a lack of empathy for the economic pressures currently felt by the public.
“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. A government that cannot feel the pain it inflicts will never summon the will to end it,” Atiku declared, promising to focus on restoring affordability to the nation’s economy.
