Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has criticised President Bola Tinubu for embarking on a three-week vacation in Europe amid worsening economic hardship and insecurity in Nigeria.
The Presidency had announced that Tinubu’s first destination was London, United Kingdom, where he would spend part of his annual working vacation before returning to Nigeria to resume official engagements ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The announcement was contained in a statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
Reacting to the development, Atiku said that although Nigeria was not facing a constitutional vacuum, the country was experiencing what he described as a “disturbing vacuum of political leadership.”
In a statement shared on his social media platforms, the ADC presidential candidate said Tinubu’s decision to leave the country was difficult to justify at a time Nigerians were battling rising living costs, high transportation fares, expensive petrol and persistent insecurity.
Atiku also expressed concern that Vice President Kashim Shettima was out of the country on official duty, making the President’s absence more troubling.
“I have travelled, lived and spent time abroad, and I have never pretended otherwise.
“But there is a fundamental difference between the travels of a private citizen and the responsibility of the sitting President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Atiku said.
He said Nigerians were struggling with high petrol prices, food insecurity, rising transport costs and recurring attacks across the country.
“Consider what Bola Tinubu is leaving behind. Petrol priced beyond the reach of ordinary people. Families rationing food. Transport fares that have turned a journey to one’s own village into a luxury. Insecurity that buries Nigerians week after week,” he said.
Atiku questioned the timing of the vacation, arguing that the challenges confronting the country required stronger political leadership and the President’s physical presence.
“The Vice President is abroad on official duty. That makes the President’s decision even more difficult to understand. 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 added.
Using a family-in-crisis analogy, Atiku said a leader should remain with his people during difficult times.
“A father may travel when all is well. But when his roof is burning and his family is trapped inside, he does not pick up his suitcase and head for the airport,” he said.
He further accused the Tinubu administration of being disconnected from the hardship experienced by ordinary Nigerians.
“A government that cannot feel the pain it inflicts will never summon the will to end it,” Atiku said.
The former vice president also used the opportunity to outline his political message ahead of the 2027 presidential election, declaring: “Tinubu made Nigeria expensive. I will make Nigeria affordable again.”
Meanwhile, presidential spokesperson Sunday Dare has defended Tinubu’s three-week annual working vacation.
Speaking after seeing off the President at the presidential wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on Sunday, Dare said the break would allow Tinubu to “refuel” after months of intense engagement with national affairs.
According to him, the President had spent the past six to seven months focused on state matters, including security and economic decisions, ahead of the 2027 election campaign season.
Dare said the vacation should therefore be viewed as an opportunity for the President to rest and recharge before returning to his official responsibilities.
