The African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council has demanded an immediate explanation from the Presidency over President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s continued absence from Nigeria, six days after the expiration of his originally announced three-week vacation.
In a statement signed by its Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, on Sunday, September 27, 2026, the ADC said the President had reportedly been expected to return to Nigeria on September 21 but had yet to do so.
The council said the Presidency must provide Nigerians with clear information on the President’s whereabouts and the circumstances surrounding the extension of his stay abroad.
“The Presidency owes Nigerians a clear and transparent explanation,” the statement said.
According to the ADC, “the continued absence of the President, without sufficient public information on his whereabouts or the circumstances surrounding the extension of his stay abroad, has inevitably generated questions and public concern.”
The opposition group stressed that the presidency was a public trust and that Nigerians were entitled to information concerning the exercise of executive authority.
“The office of the President is a public trust,” the ADC said.
It added: “Nigerians who elected President Tinubu are entitled to know where their President is and, more importantly, who is exercising presidential authority while he remains outside the country.”
The ADC said the President’s prolonged absence had become a matter of public concern, particularly against the backdrop of economic hardship and security challenges confronting the country.
“This is particularly important at a time when Nigeria is confronted by serious economic pressures, widespread hardship and persistent security challenges,” the statement said.
“The country cannot afford uncertainty at the highest level of government,” it added.
The council called on the Presidency to immediately disclose the President’s current location, the reason for his prolonged absence and the arrangements governing the administration of the country during the period.
“The ADC therefore calls on the Presidency to immediately come clean with Nigerians and provide clear, verifiable information on the President’s current location, the reason for the prolonged absence and the constitutional arrangements governing the administration of the country during this period,” it said.
The group also demanded clarification on the status of Tinubu’s vacation and the constitutional basis for the current arrangement.
“The Presidency must also clarify the status of the President’s vacation and explain the constitutional basis for the current arrangement, particularly where the President remains away from the country beyond the period earlier communicated to Nigerians,” the ADC said.
The council argued that information about the President’s movements and the exercise of presidential authority could not be treated solely as a private matter.
“Nigerians deserve openness, not secrecy,” it said.
“Presidential movements and the exercise of executive authority cannot be treated as matters of private convenience when they directly concern the governance of a nation of more than 200 million people,” the statement added.
The ADC also expressed concern over the reported extension of the President’s vacation and the directive for Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, to continue representing Tinubu at official functions.
The council acknowledged that the Presidency might provide administrative explanations for the arrangement but said this would not address what it described as the fundamental constitutional question surrounding the President’s absence.
“While the Presidency may provide administrative explanations for the arrangement, the ADC believes that such explanations do not answer the fundamental question confronting Nigerians: who is constitutionally and effectively in charge of the affairs of the Federal Republic of Nigeria while the President remains away?” it said.
The ADC said it was joining concerned Nigerians in demanding transparency and accountability from the Presidency.
“The ADC joins concerned Nigerians in demanding transparency, accountability and respect for the constitutional responsibilities attached to the office of President,” the statement said.
It further argued that Nigerians had a legitimate expectation to be kept informed about developments affecting the exercise of presidential authority.
“President Tinubu was elected to lead Nigeria, and Nigerians have a legitimate expectation that the Presidency will keep them adequately informed about matters affecting the exercise of presidential authority,” it said.
The council consequently urged the Presidency to issue what it described as a comprehensive and unambiguous explanation of the President’s continued absence.
“The ADC therefore calls on the Presidency to immediately provide Nigerians with a comprehensive and unambiguous explanation,” the statement said.
“Silence can only deepen public anxiety and fuel speculation,” it added.