Nigerian President Bola Tinubu’s return from a working vacation in Europe has been pushed back for a second time, with the presidency now saying he will arrive in Lagos on Tuesday, September 29, rather than over the weekend as previously announced.
Presidential aide Bayo Onanuga confirmed the revised itinerary on Sunday, characterizing the two-day shift as a minor adjustment to the president’s schedule. Tinubu left Nigeria on August 30 for what the presidency described as a three-week annual leave, spending roughly a week in London before moving on to Paris, where he held meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron and businessman Vincent Bolloré.
The original three-week window had already expired once, prompting the presidency to announce on September 21 that the trip would be extended by a few days, with a return expected over the weekend. That date has now also slipped, with no official reason given for the latest change. Tinubu is expected to remain in Lagos for events marking Nigeria’s 66th Independence anniversary on October 1 before proceeding to Abuja the following weekend.
The extended absence, now approaching a month, has drawn scrutiny from opposition figures and prompted debate over Section 145 of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution, which addresses the transfer of presidential authority when a sitting president is unable to discharge official duties. Media adviser to opposition candidate Atiku Abubakar, Paul Ibe, questioned why the constitutional provision had not been formally invoked and raised the possibility that the president’s absence was for medical reasons, a claim the presidency has not addressed directly.
Vice President Kashim Shettima has deputized for Tinubu during the trip, including representing Nigeria at the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, the third consecutive year he has done so in Tinubu’s place. Senate President Godswill Akpabio has said there is no vacancy in the presidency and that Tinubu remains in charge of government affairs despite his absence.
