Former Vice-President and 2027 presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s decision to embark on a three-week vacation in Europe amid the country’s economic and security challenges.

Atiku, in a statement issued after Tinubu’s departure, said the President’s absence from the country at a time of widespread hardship reflected what he described as a “disturbing vacuum of political leadership”.

He acknowledged that there was no constitutional vacuum, but argued that the circumstances surrounding the President’s trip raised questions about his leadership priorities.

“Nigeria may not be facing a constitutional vacuum today, but there is a disturbing vacuum of political leadership,” Atiku said.

The former vice-president contrasted Tinubu’s trip with his own travels, noting that the responsibilities of a sitting president were different from those of a private citizen.

“I have travelled, lived and spent time abroad, and I have never pretended otherwise. But there is a fundamental difference between the travels of a private citizen and the responsibility of the sitting President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said.

Atiku listed rising living costs, food insecurity, high transport fares and insecurity among the challenges confronting Nigerians, arguing that the situation required the President’s presence in the country.

“Consider what Bola Tinubu is leaving behind. Petrol priced beyond the reach of ordinary people. Families rationing food. Transport fares that have turned a journey to one’s own village into a luxury. Insecurity that buries Nigerians week after week,” he said.

He also noted that Vice-President Kashim Shettima was out of the country on official duty, describing the President’s decision to travel under the circumstances as difficult to understand.

According to Atiku, leadership requires knowing when a country needs the physical presence of its leader.

“Leadership is not merely the constitutional right to occupy an office; it is the judgment to know when your country needs you at home,” he said.

Using a fire analogy, Atiku argued that a leader should remain with his people during a crisis rather than leave the country.

“A father may travel when all is well. But when his roof is burning and his family is trapped inside, he does not pick up his suitcase and head for the airport,” he said.

Atiku stressed that his criticism was not based on the principle that a president should never travel or take time off, but on what he described as the severity of Nigeria’s current challenges.

“It is not that a President must never rest or travel. It is that Nigeria is burning, and the President has chosen a boarding pass over the fire extinguisher,” he said.

He further criticised the economic policies of the Tinubu administration, saying Nigerians were struggling to cope with the rising cost of living.

“Millions of Nigerians are being grounded by hardship while their President is airborne,” Atiku said.

He concluded by contrasting his proposed leadership with the current administration, declaring: “Tinubu made Nigeria expensive. I will make Nigeria affordable again.”

The Presidency has said that President Bola Tinubu embarked on a three-week vacation to ‘refuel’ after months of intense engagement with state matters.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, stated this while addressing newsmen on Sunday.

According to him, the President had spent the past six to seven months handling state matters, including decisions on security and the economy, ahead of the campaign season for the 2027 elections.

“The President has had several months—six, seven months—of being engaged with state matters. We’ve seen monumental changes, monumental decisions taken with our security, with our economy and so many other things as pertains to the running of the affairs of this country,” he said.

The presidential aide further said that the campaign season had begun and would involve several months of intense political activities, although governance would continue.

“And at this point, the campaign season has just started. We have four, five months of serious campaigning. Of course, governance will still continue,” Dare said.

Dare noted that the leave was important for the President to rest and prepare for the campaign season, adding that Tinubu would remain engaged with government affairs while abroad.

Tinubu begins three-week leave

President Bola Tinubu has begun a three-week vacation as part of his annual leave.

This was disclosed in a statement by the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Sunday.

The statement said Tinubu will depart Abuja on Sunday (today) for Europe. His first stop will be London, United Kingdom.

According to the statement, President Tinubu is expected to return home after the working vacation to join the hectic campaigns for the January 2027 election.