Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has given President Bola Tinubu a seven-day ultimatum to either sign the Federal Audit Service Bill into law or formally notify the National Assembly of his reasons for withholding assent, in line with what he described as the president’s constitutional obligation.
Atiku said that if the president fails to do either within the timeframe, he should resign.
The former vice president also accused Tinubu of violating the 1999 Constitution (as amended) by failing to act on the bill within the period prescribed by law, warning that continued inaction undermines constitutional governance and public accountability.
In a statement issued on Friday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the president’s failure to either assent to or reject the bill months after it was transmitted by the National Assembly amounted to a disregard for the Constitution.
“Nigerians deserve clarity, not silence. The Constitution neither authorises executive inaction nor contemplates indefinite presidential delay. Continued failure to act only reinforces public concern that constitutional obligations are increasingly being subordinated to executive convenience,” the statement read.
Citing Section 58(4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Atiku noted that the president is required to signify assent or withhold assent to any bill presented to him within 30 days.
“That provision is neither decorative nor discretionary. It is a constitutional command. The framers of our Constitution never envisaged a president who would simply sit on legislation indefinitely while governance drifts without certainty or accountability,” he said.
The Federal Audit Service Bill seeks to strengthen the independence of the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation, modernise Nigeria’s public audit system and enhance oversight of government spending.
According to Atiku, delaying action on legislation aimed at improving transparency and accountability sends the wrong signal at a time when Nigerians are demanding stronger institutions and prudent management of public resources.
He further alleged that the president’s failure to act reflects what he described as a broader pattern of disregard for constitutional provisions by the current administration.
“Every major scandal begins with a smaller act of institutional neglect. It begins when constitutional provisions are treated as optional, when oversight institutions are weakened and when those entrusted with enforcing the law become comfortable operating outside its clear boundaries,” he added.
Atiku also referenced the controversy surrounding the proposed Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, arguing that it underscored the risks associated with weak institutional safeguards and inconsistent official communication.
“The Constitution is one indivisible covenant. A president who treats one constitutional obligation as optional inevitably weakens respect for every other constitutional safeguard. That is how impunity gradually becomes institutional culture and governance descends into perpetual crisis management rather than responsible leadership,” he stated.
He maintained that constitutional democracy cannot endure where public officials obey the law selectively.
“The same Constitution that confers enormous powers on the president also places clear obligations upon him. Executive authority is not a licence for constitutional indifference. A president who expects citizens to obey the law must himself be the foremost example of obedience to the Constitution,” he said.
Section 58(4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) requires the president to either assent to or withhold assent to any bill presented by the National Assembly within 30 days. Where assent is withheld, Section 58(5) empowers the National Assembly to override the president’s decision with a two-thirds majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
As of the time of filing this report, the Presidency had not responded to Atiku’s remarks.
