Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, said on Tuesday, 22 September 2026, that President Bola Tinubu can rule Nigeria from anywhere in the world, answering Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, and Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress.
President Bola Tinubu is on vacation in Paris. Vice President Kashim Shettima is in the United States for the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
Also read: Tinubu extends Europe vacation amid power questions
Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi had asked who is running the country while both men are outside Nigeria.
Atiku Abubakar had also pointed to Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution, which deals with a written declaration before a presidential vacation.
Daniel Bwala rejected the premise. He said the power to govern is not tied to a map.
Posting on X, he wrote: “It is funny how opposition candidates are asking the question who is in charge of Nigeria simply because the president and Vice President are out of the country.”
“For avoidance of doubt, the power of the president to govern Nigeria is not limited to geography. As commander in chief of the armed forces, he can order, direct, delegate and or administer the constitution of Nigeria anywhere in the world. See section 5 of the constitution.”
He then turned on the two challengers. “@atiku and @PeterObi, you both have not yet defined and or explained a clear alternative path other than populist rhetoric.”
Section 5 of the constitution vests executive powers of the Federation in the president and allows those powers to be exercised by him or through vice president, ministers or other officers. It does not mention travel.
Section 145, the clause Atiku Abubakar relied on earlier, is the provision for transmitting a written declaration to the National Assembly when the president is going on vacation or is otherwise unable to discharge the functions of office.
The Presidency has not, in this reply, published such a letter. Daniel Bwala’s argument is that command does not stop at the border.
The opposition argument is that Nigerians still have not been shown, in the form the constitution requires, who is acting at home while the president and vice president are both abroad.
David Okere is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering business, governance, public affairs, and human-interest stories with a commitment to accuracy, balance, and public interest reporting.
