Summary: Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has raised alarm over President Bola Tinubu’s extended stay in France, demanding transparency and accountability from the presidency on behalf of Nigerians.
Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has come out swinging — and this time, his target is the prolonged absence of President Bola Tinubu from Nigerian soil.
In a statement released through his media aide, Atiku did not mince words as he questioned what exactly is keeping Nigeria’s number one citizen glued to France while the country faces a mountain of pressing challenges back home.
“What Is He Still Doing There?”
For many Nigerians already grappling with biting economic hardship, skyrocketing food prices, and insecurity that refuses to rest, the sight of an absent president is not just concerning — it is infuriating. Atiku appears to be channeling that frustration, demanding clarity on the nature and necessity of Tinubu’s extended foreign trip.
The former Vice President’s query is simple but pointed: What exactly is keeping the president in France?
It is a question that millions of Nigerians — from traders in Balogun Market to civil servants waiting on salary approvals — are also asking in their own corners.
Accountability Is Not Optional
Atiku’s probe touches on a deeper issue that has long been a sore point in Nigerian governance — presidential transparency. When a sitting president travels abroad for extended periods without clear, consistent communication to citizens, it creates a vacuum that breeds speculation, anxiety, and distrust.
Nigerians deserve to know:
– Why the president is abroad
– For how long he intends to stay
– Who is effectively piloting the affairs of the nation in his absence
– What decisions, if any, are being made on behalf of over 200 million Nigerians from a foreign land
The Bigger Picture
This is not merely a political jab from an opposition figure. It is a legitimate constitutional and governance concern. The Nigerian constitution is clear about the need for proper handover of power when a president is unable to perform his duties from within the country for an extended period.
Nigerians have been down this road before — the painful and uncertain days of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s prolonged illness and absence from office left a scar on the nation’s democratic memory that has never fully healed. It is a chapter nobody wants a repeat of.
What Nigerians Are Saying
On the streets of Lagos, Abuja, Kano, and Port Harcourt, ordinary citizens are echoing Atiku’s sentiments. Many feel that at a time when Nigeria needs strong, visible, and hands-on leadership, extended presidential foreign trips send the wrong message entirely.
“We are here suffering and the man is abroad enjoying himself,” one market woman in Onitsha reportedly said — a sentiment that, fairly or unfairly, captures the mood of many Nigerians.
The Presidency Must Speak Up
Whether one is a Tinubu supporter or not, the call for transparency is one that transcends political affiliations. The presidency owes Nigerians a clear, detailed, and honest explanation of the president’s activities and timeline abroad.
Silence, as they say, is not always golden — especially not when a nation is watching and waiting.
As this story develops, Nigerians will be hoping for swift and honest communication from Aso Rock. The people have spoken — through Atiku and through their own voices. The ball is now in the presidency’s court.
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