Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condemned President Bola Tinubu’s decision to spend three weeks abroad, accusing the president of leaving the country amid economic hardship and insecurity.
Atiku said Tinubu had travelled to Europe for an extended period while Nigerians continued to face rising living costs, expensive transportation, petrol prices and persistent insecurity.
He also pointed to the absence of Vice President Kashim Shettima, who he said was abroad on official duty, saying both leaders placed the country on auto pilot.
The former vice president, who made his position known in a post on his social media handle on Sunday, questioned the President’s choice to remain outside Nigeria for three weeks while the country confronts serious challenges.
Atiku argued that Nigeria may not be experiencing a constitutional vacuum, but insisted that there was what he called a “disturbing vacuum of political leadership.”
He said his criticism was not based on opposition to presidential travel, noting that he had himself travelled and lived abroad.
However, he stressed that the responsibilities of a sitting president were different from those of a private citizen.
According to Atiku, the circumstances in Nigeria should have influenced Tinubu’s decision on whether to remain abroad for such an extended period.
He highlighted the financial pressure on households, saying petrol had become unaffordable for many people while food and transport costs had placed additional strain on families.
Atiku also drew attention to insecurity, saying Nigerians continued to lose their lives as violence persisted in parts of the country.
“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 wrote.
Using a family-in-crisis analogy, Atiku said a father would not leave home with a suitcase when his family was trapped inside a burning house.
He maintained that this was the central issue with Tinubu’s trip, arguing that the President’s absence came at a time when Nigeria required his attention at home.
Atiku further accused the administration of making life more expensive for citizens, contrasting the government’s record with his own political promise to reduce the burden on Nigerians.
“Tinubu made Nigeria expensive. I will make Nigeria affordable again,” Atiku declared.
