Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has criticized President Bola Tinubu for embarking on a three-week vacation in Europe amid Nigeria’s economic and security challenges.
Tinubu departed Abuja on Sunday for his annual leave, with London, United Kingdom, as his first destination. The Presidency said he is expected to return after the vacation to join the campaign ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Reacting to the trip, Atiku said the President’s absence came at a time when Nigerians were facing rising living costs, food insecurity, high transport fares, and insecurity.
He described the situation as a “disturbing vacuum of political leadership,” while acknowledging that the country was not facing a constitutional vacuum.
Atiku argued that there was a difference between the travels of a private citizen and those of a sitting president, saying the current challenges required Tinubu’s presence in 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.
The ADC candidate also questioned the timing of the trip, noting that Vice President Kashim Shettima was in Angola on official duty.
Atiku said his criticism was not that a president should never travel or take a break, but that the timing of Tinubu’s vacation was inappropriate given the challenges confronting Nigerians.
He concluded by accusing the Tinubu administration of making the country increasingly expensive and pledged to make Nigeria more affordable if elected.
