KEY POINTS
- President Bola Tinubu has left Nigeria for a three-week annual vacation, beginning in London.
- Vice President Kashim Shettima is currently in Angola and is expected back in Nigeria later this week.
- The Presidency did not announce a formal transfer of presidential powers, despite Tinubu’s extended absence.
President Bola Tinubu has departed Abuja for Europe to begin a three-week annual vacation, with London, United Kingdom, listed as his first destination.
The Presidency announced the president’s departure on Sunday, August 30, 2026, describing the trip as a “working vacation.” Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga said Tinubu is expected to return to Nigeria after the break and immediately resume preparations ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to the Presidency, Tinubu left Abuja for Europe as part of his annual leave.
Although London will be his first stop, officials did not provide further details about his itinerary or the other countries he may visit during the three-week period.
The president’s absence comes at a time when political activities are gradually intensifying ahead of the 2027 elections, with political parties and potential candidates beginning to position themselves for the electoral contest.
Onanuga said Tinubu would return to the country after the vacation and join ongoing preparations for the January 2027 election campaign.
Shettima Expected to Return to Nigeria
Vice President Kashim Shettima is currently outside Nigeria, where he is representing the country at an Extraordinary Summit of the African Union in Angola.
He is expected to return to Nigeria later this week, meaning the vice president could assume responsibility for the administration while Tinubu remains abroad.
However, the Presidency’s announcement did not state whether Tinubu had formally transferred presidential powers to Shettima.
The issue of presidential handover has attracted attention because Nigeria’s Constitution provides for a formal process when the president is travelling and will be away for an extended period.
Under the constitutional arrangement, the president is expected to communicate his absence through a written declaration to the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, allowing the vice president to exercise presidential powers in an acting capacity.
The latest announcement did not indicate that such a letter had been transmitted.
This marks a departure from the practice adopted during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, who routinely transferred presidential authority to his vice president during extended foreign trips.
The tradition of formal handover became a subject of political debate during Buhari’s administration following an incident in 2018, when then-Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, while serving as acting president, approved the dismissal of Lawal Daura as Director-General of the Department of State Services.
The decision reportedly contributed to a more cautious approach to formal transfers of presidential authority during subsequent foreign trips.
Tinubu’s latest three-week absence therefore raises questions about how executive responsibilities will be managed while both the president and vice president are, at least initially, outside the country.
Despite the questions surrounding the handover arrangement, the Presidency said the president’s absence is temporary and that he is expected to return after his working vacation.
His return will coincide with an increasingly active political period as Nigeria moves closer to the 2027 general elections.