Calls for President Bola Tinubu to formally transfer presidential functions to Vice President Kashim Shettima during his absence from the country have continued to generate contrasting reactions.
Spokesman of former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, Paul Ibe has called on the National Assembly to consider impeachment proceedings against President Tinubu, alleging that the President breached the Constitution by failing to transmit a written declaration concerning his absence.
Ibe argued that Section 145 of the Nigerian Constitution provides for the Vice President to perform the functions of the President when the President proceeds on vacation or is otherwise unable to discharge the functions of his office.
He said there should be consequences if the constitutional procedure was not followed.
However, a member of the All Progressives Congress, Oke Idawene, dismissed the impeachment calls, describing them as unwarranted.
He argued that similar situations had occurred under previous administrations and maintained that President Tinubu had not violated the Constitution.
VIDEO NEWS: “He [President Bola Tinubu] should be impeached.” – Paul Ibe.
Paul Ibe and APC member Oke Idawene have presented opposing views on calls to impeach the president. pic.twitter.com/z7xfTap021
— The Compass Hub (@thecompasshub) September 23, 2026
Meanwhile, the President of the senate, Godswill Akpabio has maintained that President Tinubu remains in office and continues to perform his duties despite being on a working vacation abroad.
Akpabio said the President had continued to engage in official activities from abroad, citing his meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and other bilateral engagements.
He also noted that Vice President Shettima represented the President at the United Nations General Assembly after Tinubu was unable to attend.
The Senate President maintained that there was no vacancy in the presidency, arguing that Tinubu could continue to issue directives and run the affairs of the country while outside Nigeria.
I am the Senate President and not the acting President of Nigeria because President Tinubu is still in power. He’s on a working leave, and there’s no absence in Aso Rock. He was with French President Macron the other day. I am the only person who can declare a vacancy and there… pic.twitter.com/Xvstbw17f5
— Nigerian Affairs Journal (@NigAffairs) September 22, 2026
What the Constitution Says
Section 145(1) of the 1999 Constitution provides that when the President proceeds on vacation or is otherwise unable to discharge the functions of his office, he shall transmit a written declaration to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Until a declaration to the contrary is transmitted, the Vice President is to perform the functions of President as Acting President.
The same section provides that if the President fails to transmit the declaration within 21 days, the National Assembly may, by a simple majority vote in each chamber, mandate the Vice President to perform the functions of President as Acting President.
The Presidency has maintained that Tinubu remains in contact with officials at home and continues to direct the affairs of government while abroad. It has also said the President delegated Shettima to represent him at some official engagements, including the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
The disagreement has therefore centred on the interpretation and application of Section 145, particularly the constitutional procedure governing a President’s absence and the exercise of presidential functions while outside the country.
