Atiku Abubakar, a former Vice President, has publicly questioned the whereabouts of President Bola Tinubu following his departure from a special session of the World Economic Forum in Saudi Arabia last week. After the forum concluded on April 29, Mr. Tinubu left Saudi Arabia for London, arriving in the United Kingdom the next day. However, since then, his location has been shrouded in mystery, with no official announcement regarding the president’s whereabouts.
The absence of a known leader in the country has become apparent as Vice President Kashim Shettima left Abuja for Texas, United States, to represent Mr. Tinubu at the U.S.-Africa Business Summit on Monday. This departure has left the country’s seat of power unoccupied.
In response to this “unprecedented” situation, Mr. Atiku expressed concerns in a social media post on Monday about reports that both the president and the vice president had left the country simultaneously during a time when Nigeria is grappling with a series of crises.
“I have been inundated by reports of the absence of the president and vice president from the country. It is unprecedented that the two leaders will be absent from the country at the same time, especially now that the nation is faced with daunting challenges,” Mr. Atiku stated.
He further questioned, “Who is in charge of government at this point, or is it right to assume that we are on autopilot?” This query came from the leader of one of the main opposition parties.
Meanwhile, media reports on Monday indicated that Mr. Tinubu arrived in Paris Le Bourget, France, from London on May 2 and has remained there ever since, unbeknownst to most of his key aides.
However, it was learned on Monday night that Vice President Shettima’s tour to the United States was suspended due to a fault detected on the aircraft scheduled for the journey.
