A former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Chidi Odinkalu, has accused President Bola Tinubu of repeatedly leaving Nigeria without effective leadership during his prolonged absence from the country.
Odinkalu, a professor and lawyer, made the remarks while reacting to Tinubu’s extended stay in Europe, arguing that the current administration is the first in which the President and Vice President have made a habit of being outside the country at the same time.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, Odinkalu also rejected claims that the President can continue to administer Nigeria virtually beyond the 21-day period provided for under the Constitution.
According to him, “Tinubu cannot interminably run Nigeria like Paul Biya runs Cameroon.”
Odinkalu said previous administrations maintained an established convention under which either the President or Vice President remained in Nigeria when the other was abroad.
“So, I think running a country requires common sense. And this is the first time, this is the first administration where the principals, the Vice President and the President, are making a habit of abandoning the country without leadership,” he said.
“It never happened before. As a rule, as a convention, pretty much a binding convention of government, no president allowed himself to be out of the country with the vice president at the same time. It never happened. It was not permitted.”
He cited the administrations of former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari as examples.
“Under Buhari, whenever Buhari was going out of the country, Osinbajo was required to be back in the country. Under Obasanjo, Obasanjo would never contemplate it. Yar’Adua did not contemplate it. Jonathan did not allow it,” Odinkalu said.
He questioned whether the current leadership fully understands the constitutional and practical responsibilities that come with running the country.
“The question therefore you’ve got to pose is, do the current people running the country even think or understand what the obligations of running the country are before we get into the constitutional text? Because if they don’t understand this, no matter how much you try to read the text, they will subvert it,” he said.
Odinkalu added that he was more concerned with the broader principle of presidential leadership than what he described as a “mechanistic reading” of the Constitution.
He further argued that Tinubu’s prolonged absence had left Nigeria functioning as an “ungoverned territory,” alleging that those responsible for leading the country had abdicated their responsibilities.
‘Japa’: ‘That’s exactly what our president is doing’
Odinkalu also described the President’s prolonged absence as “japa”, a Nigerian expression commonly used to describe leaving the country in search of better opportunities.
He disputed the suggestion that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) could act on Tinubu’s behalf during his absence, citing Section 145 of the Nigerian Constitution.
The former NHRC chairman consequently urged presidents not to take the country’s leadership responsibilities for granted.
Tinubu had left Abuja for Europe about three weeks ago for a three-week vacation as part of his annual leave.
According to a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President’s first destination was London, United Kingdom, before he travelled to Paris, France.
During the trip, Tinubu met with French President Emmanuel Macron and businessman Vincent Bolloré, whose business interests include media and entertainment companies such as Canal+ and Universal Music Group.
The President subsequently extended what the Presidency described as a working vacation by a few days.
His prolonged absence has sparked public debate, with former Vice President and African Democratic Congress presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar questioning Tinubu’s decision not to attend the 81st United Nations General Assembly and calling for an explanation.
The Presidency, however, said Vice President Kashim Shettima would represent Tinubu at the global conference and deliver Nigeria’s national statement.
