Akpabio: Tinubu Still Running Affairs, Aso Rock Not Vacant

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has strongly affirmed that there is no power vacuum at Aso Rock, emphasizing that President Bola Tinubu continues to oversee the nation's affairs, even while on a foreign working vacation. Akpabio made these remarks during the commissioning of road infrastructure projects spearheaded by Governor Umo Eno in Akwa Ibom State.

The Senate President clarified that President Tinubu's temporary absence from the country should not be misconstrued as a handover of power or a vacant presidential seat. He stated, “I am not the acting president, because the president is still in power. The president is on a working leave. So, there’s no absence in Aso Rock.”

Akpabio further explained that President Tinubu is actively fulfilling his presidential duties from abroad, highlighting the capabilities of modern communication. He argued, “What he cannot do here, he is doing abroad. The world has become a global village; you can give instructions from the internet about anything, so why are people complaining?”

To underscore his point, the Senate President referenced President Tinubu’s recent engagements overseas, including a significant meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. Akpabio noted, “The other day, he was with President Macron on a state visit, discussing bilateral to bring things back to Nigeria.”

These statements from Akpabio come amidst public discourse, particularly on social media, concerning the simultaneous foreign trips of both President Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima. Citizens had raised questions about who was physically at the helm of national affairs, with the President in France and the Vice President attending the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. Akpabio addressed this, saying, “And then, because he could not make it to UNGA, the United Nations General Assembly, his vice-president went.”

As the chairman of the National Assembly, Akpabio asserted his authority to speak on matters of presidential vacancy. He declared, “There’s no vacancy; people who are talking are just talking. I’m the only person as chairman of national assembly that can speak the voice of national assembly and say there is vacancy and there will be vacancy. Right now, there is no vacancy. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is still in power and is still running the affairs of Nigeria.”

The Senate President also took a jab at those expressing concerns about President Tinubu’s absence, likening them to individuals who complain without reason. He remarked, “The people who are complaining are like people who are drinking water and say give me toothpick, the water is all for my teeth. They don’t know what to say.”