President Bola Tinubu has postponed his return to Nigeria following a last-minute adjustment to his travel plans.
Tinubu was initially expected to return to the country this weekend after spending several weeks in Europe on what the presidency described as a working vacation.
Sources said the President’s revised itinerary now indicates that he is likely to return on Tuesday. The reason for the change was not immediately known.
Tinubu left Nigeria on August 30 for London, where he began what was announced as a three-week working vacation as part of his annual leave. After spending about a week in the United Kingdom, he travelled to Paris, France.
During his stay in Paris, the President held meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron and businessman Vincent Bolloré.
On September 21, the presidency announced that Tinubu had extended his stay abroad by a few days and would return to Nigeria at the weekend.
The presidency said the President remained in contact with government officials at home and continued to direct the affairs of the country while abroad.
Vice-President Kashim Shettima had represented Tinubu at some official engagements during his absence. Shettima, however, travelled to New York on September 20 to represent Nigeria at the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
The latest adjustment to Tinubu’s return has renewed questions over the length of his absence from Nigeria.
The President’s extended stay has also triggered a constitutional debate, with some opposition figures questioning whether presidential powers should have been formally transferred to the Vice-President after 21 days.
Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution provides that a President proceeding on vacation is to transmit a written declaration to the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives, after which the Vice-President performs the functions of the President in an acting capacity.
However, Senate President Godswill Akpabio said on Tuesday that there was no vacancy in Aso Rock and that Tinubu remained in charge of the country’s affairs despite his absence from Nigeria.