Senate President Godswill Akpabio addresses questions about presidential succession and acting authority after President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima remain outside Nigeria. Multiple reports say Akpabio responds publicly while speaking in Akwa Ibom State, clarifying his role in relation to constitutional expectations when the presidency is vacant or temporarily unavailable.
Both outlets describe a controversy sparked by the absence of Tinubu and Shettima from the Aso Rock Villa, with some claims raising the question of whether Akpabio is acting as president. Akpabio’s position, as presented by the sources, is that he is not acting in that capacity. The reports also note that Tinubu is in France at the time, and that Shettima’s absence contributes to public attention on who holds executive authority.
While the stories differ slightly in emphasis—one framing it as Akpabio “breaking silence” on acting president claims and the other focusing on the specific clarification that he is not acting—both attribute the public remarks to the same underlying issue: the president and vice president are not physically in Nigeria and questions circulate about who is empowered to act.
