“There Is No Absence!” — Akpabio Defends Tinubu’s Extended Vacation, Declares No Vacancy in Aso Rock

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has stepped forward to defend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s extended working vacation abroad, dismissing public calls for a temporary transfer of power as unnecessary and speculative.

Speaking in Akwa Ibom State during the commissioning of infrastructure projects executed by Governor Umo Eno, Akpabio pushed back against critics expressing concern over the President’s prolonged time outside the country. He insisted that President Tinubu remains firmly in control of the nation’s affairs and continues to execute his constitutional mandate seamlessly from abroad.

“I am the Senate President, and I am not the acting President of Nigeria, because President Tinubu is still in power,” Akpabio stated. “He is on a working leave, and there is no absence in Aso Rock. The world is a global village, and one can give instructions over the internet. So, why are people complaining?”

The Senate President stressed that discussions regarding a leadership vacuum are baseless, pointing out that under constitutional provisions, the National Assembly leadership determines whether a presidential vacancy exists.

“There is no vacancy. People who are talking are just talking,” Akpabio asserted. “I am the only person, as Chairman of the National Assembly, that can speak the voice of the National Assembly and say there is a vacancy… Right now, there is no vacancy.”

Highlighting continuous international engagements and ongoing administrative directives, Akpabio reassured citizens that the executive arm remains fully functional, signaling a unified stance by ruling party leadership against attempts to question the administration’s operational stability.