ADC Demands Transparency After Tinubu’s 30-Day Absence FromThe Country

The African Democratic Congress Presidential, ADC, has urged the Presidency to be transparent over the continued absence of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu from  the country, saying his presence is urgently needed in matters of state.

ADC Presidential Campaign Council made the demand on Sunday,  in a statement issued  by its Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, amid the controversy trailing the president’s absence from the country for more than four weeks.

President Tinubu had left the country on August 30, for a three week working vacation in the United Kingdom,which was supposed to end on September 21. He has yet to return, a situation that has trigered serious reactions from not a few Nigerians,including the civil society, opposition parties and others who insist that Tinubu should tranfer power toVice President Kassim Shettima, in line with Section 45 ofthe Constitution, pending his return to the country.

Following the pressure, the Presidency said Tinubu was billed to return tothe country last weekend, it,however, appears that the president has rescheduled his return to early this wees,according to infomation fromAsoRcok,Nigeria’s Presidency.

ADC said Nigerians are confused on the whereabout of the president,saying the Presidency has not been transparent enough over the issue, calling on the government to makeavailable verifiable information on Tinubu’s current location.

The opposition party said Nigerians must know where their president is and who’s in charge of the current at the moment, adding that the country cannot afford an absentee president at this time of serious security and economic challenges facing the country.

The party said the Presidency must alsoexpain Tinubu’s continued absence fromthe country,and whether the constitutional requirement has been met regarding the adminsitration of the country,when faced with current circumstances.

According to Ologbondiyan, “The Presidency owes Nigerians a clear and transparent explanation. The continued absence of the President, without sufficient public information on his whereabouts or the circumstances surrounding the extension of his stay abroad, has inevitably generated questions and public concern.

“The office of the President is a public trust. Nigerians who elected President Tinubu are entitled to know where their President is and, more importantly, who is exercising presidential authority while he remains outside the country.

“This is particularly important at a time when Nigeria is confronted by serious economic pressures, widespread hardship and persistent security challenges. The country cannot afford uncertainty at the highest level of government.

“The ADC, therefore, calls on the Presidency to immediately come clean with Nigerians and provide clear, verifiable information on the President’s current location, the reason for the prolonged absence and the constitutional arrangements governing the administration of the country during this period.”

“The Presidency must also clarify the status of the President’s vacation and explain the constitutional basis for the current arrangement, particularly where the President remains away from the country beyond the period earlier communicated to Nigerians.

“Nigerians deserve openness, not secrecy. Presidential movements and the exercise of executive authority cannot be treated as matters of private convenience when they directly concern the governance of a nation of more than 200 million people,”he said.

Two weeks ago, President was captured in a viral video with President Emmanuel Macron of France. He’s believed to be receiving treatment in the Eurpean nation.