President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The return of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu from foreign vacation To Nigeria has witnessed postponement after a last-minute change to his travel plans, sources have revealed.
Tinubu was expected back in the country at the weekend. The reason for the last-minute change was not immediately known as at press time.
Presidency sources had earlier disclosed that the President would return to Nigeria Sunday after spending weeks in Europe on a ‘working vacation’.
He was expected to arrive in Lagos, where he would remain for up to a week before proceeding to Abuja, the nation’s capital.
However, the itinerary has been revised, with the President’s return now likely on Tuesday.
The President left Nigeria on August 30 for London, where he began what the presidency described as a three-week working vacation as part of his annual leave.
After spending about a week in the United Kingdom, he moved to Paris, France.
While in Paris, Tinubu held meetings with French President, Emmanuel Macron, and businessman, Vincent Bolloré.
The Presidency on September 21, announced that Tinubu had extended his stay abroad by a few days and would return to Nigeria at the weekend.
The Presidency added that Tinubu had remained in touch with officials at home and continued to direct government affairs while away.
Vice-President Kashim Shettima had been representing the President at certain official functions during the President’s 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 scheduled return came amid questions about the length of his absence from the country.
His extended stay has fanned out a constitutional debate, with some opposition figures questioning whether presidential powers ought to have been formally transferred to Shettima after 21 days.
Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution provides that the President shall transmit a written declaration to the Senate president and the Speaker of the House of Representatives when proceeding on vacation, after which the Vice-President performs the functions of the President in an acting capacity.
Senate president, Godswill Akpabio, on Tuesday said there was no vacancy in Aso Rock, adding that Tinubu remained in charge of the country’s affairs despite his absence from Nigeria.
