Odinkalu warns Tinubu against governing Nigeria from overseas

Chidi Odinkalu has warned President Bola Tinubu against running Nigeria from abroad, according to Premium Times. Odinkalu said the simultaneous absence of Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima had created a leadership problem. He argued that previous administrations had avoided a situation in which both the president and vice-president were absent at the same time.

The report’s headline frames his warning through a comparison with Cameroon, where President Paul Biya has been cited by Odinkalu as an example of a leader governing while abroad. The supplied material does not provide further details about the length or circumstances of Tinubu and Shettima’s absence. It also does not include a response from the presidency, the vice-president’s office or any other government official to Odinkalu’s criticism.

The available information therefore records his assessment rather than an established finding that the country was left without effective government. Odinkalu’s central concern, as reported, is the constitutional and practical leadership gap created when the two highest-ranking officials are away simultaneously. He said that earlier administrations had not allowed such a problem to arise.

Premium Times did not provide additional details in the supplied material about where Tinubu or Shettima were, how long they had been away or what official arrangements were in place during their absence. The report is consequently focused on Odinkalu’s warning and his comparison with Cameroon, rather than on a wider account of the president’s travel or the government’s operations.