Senate President Godswill Akpabio has clarified that he is not acting as President while President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima are away from the Aso Rock Presidential Villa.
Akpabio spoke in Akwa Ibom State on Tuesday amid questions over who is currently overseeing the affairs of the Federal Government.
Tinubu is currently in France on a three-week working vacation, while Shettima is in New York, United States, attending the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Addressing the issue, Akpabio said he remains the Senate President and has not assumed the role of acting President.
“I am the Senate President and not the acting President of Nigeria because President Tinubu is still in power. He’s on a working leave, and there’s no absence in Aso Rock,” he said.
Akpabio added that there was no vacancy in the office of the President, saying Tinubu remained in charge of the government.
According to him, he is the person who can declare a vacancy in the presidency, but no such vacancy currently exists.
“Right now, there is no vacancy. Asiwaju Tinubu is still in power, and he’s still running the affairs of Nigeria,” Akpabio said.
He argued that the President could continue to give directives and oversee government activities remotely, noting that modern communication technology allows leaders to issue instructions from anywhere.
