The spokesperson for the Atiki Abubakar Presidential Campaign, Kenneth Okonkwo, has accused President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly of failing to fulfil their constitutional duties over the President’s absence from the country, particularly the requirement for an Acting President under Section 145 of the Constitution.
Recall that President Bola Tinubu has been on a working vacation in Europe since August 30, with the Presidency announcing on Monday that his stay had been extended by a few days. He is expected to return to Nigeria at the weekend after spending time in London and Paris, where he held official engagements.
Okonkwo said Section 145 requires the President to transmit a written declaration to the National Assembly whenever he proceeds on vacation or is unable to perform his functions, with the Vice-President assuming as Acting President.
“In Section 145(1), there is no nexus between the President and 21 days. That subsection talked about the duty of the President. And what did it say? Let me quote: ‘Whenever the President proceeds on vacation or otherwise is unable to perform the functions of his office, he sends a written declaration to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and until he sends another written declaration saying that he has come back, the Vice President performs his function as Acting President.’
“It says: ‘If and in the event that the President fails or is unable to transmit the letter, then the National Assembly shall, with a vote of simple majority, appoint the Vice President as Acting President to continue as if he fails within 21 days.’ In other words, the 21 days is the default time, but the country should not wait more than 21 days. If he fails, the Acting President should be inaugurated immediately as Vice President and to perform the function, and until the President comes to write a letter otherwise—that he is now available to resume his functions—the Vice President continues.
“What we are saying is that the President, who is the leader of the executive, has failed. The National Assembly, who is the leader of the legislature—in other words, the people that make the law—they have failed,” he said.
Okonkwo said the ADC would take the matter to Nigerians, urging them to vote out the President and the APC-led government in the 2027 elections over what he described as a failure to uphold the Constitution.
“What we’re going to do is to tell Nigerians that they have a failed President and failed National Assembly and vote them out in 2027.”
Speaking on opposition unity, Okonkwo said the coalition had already been established, arguing that those who left should return to the fold rather than seek to renegotiate the arrangement.
“Every concession has been made. What I’m saying is coalition has happened. Coalition has chosen its presidential candidate and vice. So the only thing anybody can do now is, if you left the coalition without informing others, come back to the fold. It is your family. Come back and support Atiku.
“Opposition has already united. That anybody left the unity does not make it dead.”
Rejecting Professor Pat Utomi’s proposal for opposition parties and presidential candidates to jointly monitor elections and protect votes, Okonkwo said parties could not simultaneously compete against one another and defend each other’s interests on election day, describing the protection of votes as a duty for all Nigerians.
“First of all, the duty of safeguarding votes is for all Nigerians.
“Each party is as opposition to the other as any other party. NDC is a threat to SDP like APC is to SDP. They are competitors. So there is nothing like me combining with you in anything when we are competing for one thing.
“So the issue of defending votes is defending democracy; it’s a duty for all Nigerians. But for me on election day to start defending the interest of another party, which is not ADC, might even amount to anti-party.”
Explaining Atiku’s subsidy proposal, Okonkwo said the former Vice President would supply crude to local refineries at a discounted price, arguing that increased domestic refining would bring down petrol costs and make fuel more affordable for Nigerians.
“His Excellency Atiku Abubakar said subsidy removal should be removed with consultation with NLC and other bodies. Did Tinubu do that? With four words, Tinubu destroyed the economy.
“Now, what Atiku will do is very simple. We are now a production nation, we are not an importing nation. Dangote Refinery alone, according to Dangote, can produce all our domestic need. What does it need? Supply them crude. If you supply crude to Dangote even at the international price, we’ll still get it cheaper.
“So what Atiku will do is that being an economist as in the head of the economic team and has seen it all, Atiku is going to supply the crude to all the local refineries at a very discounted price. When he does, fuel will initially come down.”
Addressing the Sunrise controversy surrounding the Mambilla power project and a $500,000 payment to Atiku’s former wife, Okonkwo defended his principal, citing a report by the US Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations and disputing claims linking the payment to wrongdoing by Atiku.
“This is the evidence. This was what they were quoting: hearsay. This is a book I’m sure they have never seen in their lives. This is American Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.
“All those money that were transferred to Atiku’s wife were detailed here, and America said they can’t find any evidence of culpability. They said Atiku established his innocence, and said they want to ruin his political career, and that’s the meaning of this. $1.7 million Atiku sent to the wife in 2002 before even the $500,000. And remember, that tribunal did not say there was any criminality in that. They said there was a connection in time that the time of the funding transaction was close to the time of the signing of the contract.”
Defending Atiku’s records, the lawyer and spokesperson said the allegations were attempts to ruin Atiku’s political career, expressing confidence that his principal would emerge as President and Commander-in-Chief in 2027.
“All these things are manipulations to ruin Atiku Abubakar’s political career. Come 2027, Atiku will emerge as the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.”
On Atiku’s path to victory, Okonkwo pointed to growing dissatisfaction with the Tinubu administration, saying voters in the North were turning to Atiku while support for the opposition was also growing in the South.
“The first pathway to victory is the collapse of the Nigerian system under President Tinubu. Nobody will vote for 1,500 Naira per liter of fuel. So the first pathway is the collapse of the system and eventual demise of their democracy.
“Atiku is the main contender. The North, for instance, has collapsed under Tinubu. So if you go to North and say Tinubu, they say Atiku. Joining us from the South, they are awakening up. They are awakening up because Amaechi is there, the best candidate from South-South.”
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