Former presidential aide, Reuben Abati, has criticised the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, over his condemnation of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s three-week working vacation in Europe.
Abati described the former vice-president’s criticism as “quite embarrassing,” arguing that the Atiku camp appeared to be raising questions that had not been adequately researched.
He made the remarks on Monday while speaking on Arise Television’s The Morning Show, during a discussion on Tinubu’s decision to spend three weeks outside Nigeria on what the presidency described as a working vacation.
Atiku had on Sunday criticised the President’s absence from the country, arguing that Tinubu’s decision to travel abroad at a time when Nigerians were confronting widespread economic hardship created what he described as a disturbing vacuum in political leadership.
The ADC candidate’s criticism has since generated political reactions, with Abati challenging the argument that the President’s absence from Nigeria amounted to a constitutional or governance crisis.
According to the former presidential aide, Tinubu is constitutionally entitled to travel outside the country, provided his absence does not exceed the period that would trigger the constitutional requirement for formally transmitting power to the Vice-President.
“The Atiku group is also raising questions that are embarrassing and have not been properly researched,” Abati said.
He added: “Okay, let me address that very quickly. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has now gone on what they call a working vacation for three weeks, which he is entitled to.”
Abati’s comments effectively shifted the debate from the political criticism of the President’s trip to the constitutional framework governing presidential absence from Nigeria.
The former presidential aide maintained that travelling outside the country does not automatically amount to an abdication of presidential responsibility.
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The controversy comes against the backdrop of increasing political mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections, with Atiku and other opposition figures stepping up criticism of the Tinubu administration.
Atiku’s decision to make Tinubu’s foreign trip a subject of political criticism reflects broader opposition concerns over the administration’s handling of the economy and governance at a time when Nigerians continue to face pressure from rising living costs.
The former Vice-President has repeatedly attacked the government over economic hardship and what opposition figures describe as insufficient attention to the welfare of ordinary Nigerians.
Tinubu’s supporters, however, have maintained that the President remains in charge of government while abroad and that official duty continues through established government channels.
The latest exchange between Atiku and Abati is therefore likely to add another dimension to the emerging political contest ahead of 2027, with questions surrounding presidential travel, governance and accountability expected to remain part of the opposition’s campaign against the administration.