By Paul Joseph
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has postponed his return to Nigeria yet again, with the latest change in his travel plans leaving Nigerians facing fresh questions over the President’s prolonged absence from the country.
Tinubu, who left Nigeria on August 30 for what the Presidency described as a three-week working vacation in Europe, had earlier been expected to return this weekend after his stay was extended by several days. However, presidential sources have now told TheCable that his return has been shifted to Tuesday, September 29.
The latest postponement has attracted renewed public attention because the reason for the change was not immediately disclosed.
The President first travelled to London before moving to Paris, where he held meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron and businessman Vincent Bolloré. The Presidency has maintained that Tinubu has remained in contact with officials at home and continued directing government affairs while abroad.
But with each new return date generating another adjustment, questions over transparency and the practical management of government have continued to grow.
The situation became particularly sensitive after Vice President Kashim Shettima also travelled outside Nigeria to represent the country at the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, while Tinubu remained in Europe.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio had dismissed concerns about a leadership vacuum, insisting that there was “no vacancy” in Aso Rock and that Tinubu remained in charge of the country despite his absence.
Akpabio argued that modern communication allows the President to issue directives and conduct government business from abroad.
However, the prolonged absence has also triggered debate over Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution and whether the circumstances surrounding the President’s vacation require a formal transfer of presidential functions to the Vice President.
For many Nigerians already dealing with economic pressure, insecurity, unemployment and other everyday challenges, the repeated changes to the President’s return schedule are likely to deepen demands for clearer communication from the Presidency.
The immediate question now is whether Tuesday, September 29, will finally be the day Tinubu returns to Nigeria, or whether Nigerians will once again receive another change to the President’s itinerary.
Until then, the Presidency has not publicly provided a detailed explanation for the latest postponement.
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