Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has criticised President Bola Tinubu over his decision to embark on a three-week vacation in Europe amid economic hardship and insecurity in the country.
Atiku argued that although Nigeria was not facing a constitutional vacuum, the country was experiencing what he described as a “disturbing vacuum of political leadership.”
The ADC presidential candidate stated this on Sunday in a statement posted on his verified X account, questioning the timing of Tinubu’s vacation against the backdrop of the challenges confronting Nigerians.
Tinubu departed Abuja on Sunday for Europe to begin a three-week annual leave, with London, United Kingdom, as his first destination.
The President’s departure was announced in a statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who said Tinubu was expected to return after the vacation to join the “hectic campaign” for the January 2027 general election.
Atiku said the President’s decision to travel was difficult to understand, particularly as Vice President Kashim Shettima was also outside the country on official duty.
“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 stated.
He cited rising petrol prices, food hardship, increased transport fares and persistent insecurity among the challenges facing Nigerians, arguing that the situation required greater attention from the President.
“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,” Atiku said.
The former Vice President said his criticism was not based on opposition to presidential vacations or foreign travel, noting that he had also travelled and lived abroad.
“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,” he said.
Atiku likened Tinubu’s vacation to a situation in which a father leaves home while his family faces an emergency, stressing that leadership required recognising when a leader’s presence was most needed.
“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 stated.
He accused the President of being detached from the hardship confronting Nigerians, arguing that the country’s economic situation required urgent intervention rather than an extended absence.
“That is the issue here. It is not that a President must never rest or travel. It is that Nigeria is burning, and the President has chosen a boarding pass over the fire extinguisher,” Atiku said.
He further claimed that millions of Nigerians were struggling to afford basic transportation while the President continued to travel.
“Millions of Nigerians are being grounded by hardship while their President is airborne. The people can barely afford to move, but the President keeps moving,” he stated.
Atiku also accused the administration of failing to appreciate the consequences of its policies on ordinary Nigerians.
“A government that cannot feel the pain it inflicts will never summon the will to end it,” he said.
He concluded by contrasting his political promise with the Tinubu administration, stating, “Tinubu made Nigeria expensive.”