President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has again postponed his return to Nigeria after a last-minute change to his travel itinerary, TheCable reports.
Tinubu, who left Nigeria on August 30, 2026 for a working vacation in Europe, was expected to return this weekend, Sunday September 28. Presidency sources now say the President will return on Tuesday.
The President spent about a week in London before travelling to Paris, where he held meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron and businessman Vincent Bolloré.
On September 21, the Presidency had announced that Tinubu extended his stay by a few days and would return at the weekend, assuring that he “remained in touch with officials at home and continued to direct government affairs while away.”
Constitutional Debate Over Tinubu’s Absence
The latest postponement has triggered constitutional debate under Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution.
The section provides that when the President is proceeding on vacation, he shall transmit a written declaration to the Senate President and Speaker, after which the Vice-President acts as President.
Vice-President Kashim Shettima who had been representing Tinubu travelled to New York on September 20 to represent Nigeria at the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday said “there is no vacancy in Aso Rock” and that Tinubu remains in charge.
At Same Time: Atiku, Obi Attacks Tinubu, Sowore Returns
While Tinubu remains in Europe, opposition politics is heating up for 2027.
ADC presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar on Sunday slammed Tinubu’s economic reforms, saying “Nigerians do not eat GDP figures.” The APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda fired back, asking “What Suffering Are You Bringing To Nigeria?” if Atiku returns fuel subsidy.
Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, in a statement by his spokesman, Idris Zekeri Jnr, wondered why Tinubu had remained out of the country for such a long time.
His statement titled, ‘Where is Nigeria’s President? Peter Obi asks,’ reads: “The presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Peter Obi, has joined the rest of concerned Nigerians in asking for the whereabouts of the President.
President Bola Tinubu began a three-week working vacation in Europe on August 30, 2026, as part of his annual leave, according to an official statement from the State House, but has continued to shift his resumption date ever since and has not attended to very crucial national and international issues.
After watching the eloquent and remarkable address of Ghana’s President, John Dramani Mahama, at the 81st UNGA in New York, United States, an obviously concerned Obi raised the vital question on his X handle page this Sunday morning: ‘Where is Nigeria’s President?’
Writing on his X handle, Obi said, “Here is the remarkable address delivered by Ghana’s dynamic President, John Dramani Mahama, at the 81st UNGA. As the international community commends this distinguished leader, many are asking: Where is the President of Africa’s most populous nation, a country of more than 200 million people—more than Ghana—whose leader has been absent from the global stage for three consecutive UNGAs?
“Nigeria’s President, who ought to be representing and guiding the continent at the international level, has not attended any of these three global gatherings.
“Where is he, particularly at a time when the country faces significant challenges both domestically and internationally?
“Although our Vice President, Kashim Shettima, was present, the question remains: where is the President? “Let us continue to pray for his return and for his leadership in addressing the many challenges confronting the nation, but let us hope that a New Nigeria is possible and will be O-K.”
Also on Sunday, AAC presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore returned to Nigeria from the United States after over 20 months, announcing the resumption of his 2027 presidential campaign.
Sowore landed at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos to a warm welcome by supporters.
