Human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong has called on the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives to convene an emergency sitting of the National Assembly without delay.
Speaking on President Bola Tinubu’s decision to extend his working vacation by a few days, Effiong said Senator Godswill Akpabio and the Speaker must pass a resolution conferring presidential powers on the Vice-President.
“The President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and the Speaker of the House of Reps must immediately convene an emergency session of the National Assembly to pass a resolution to confer presidential powers on the Vice President,” he said.
“We have to be careful as a country; we cannot allow a vacuum. We cannot allow this impression to be created that a country can operate, a country can function, a country can exist at any time without a leader. Nigeria should not exist for 5 minutes without a president or an acting president.”
President Tinubu left Nigeria on 30 August for a working vacation that began in London and later continued in Paris. On Monday the Presidency announced that he had extended the trip by a few days and would return at the weekend.
Vice-President Kashim Shettima departed Abuja on 20 September to lead Nigeria’s delegation to the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Effiong warned that the country must not give the impression it can function without a president or an acting president, even for a short period. He said the National Assembly had a duty to act so that no leadership vacuum arose.
By John James
