Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over his decision to embark on a three-week vacation at a time he says Nigeria is facing serious economic and security challenges.

The Presidency had announced on Sunday, August 30, that Tinubu had departed Abuja for Europe to begin his three-week annual leave.

Reacting to the development, Atiku questioned the timing of the President’s trip, arguing that Nigerians are currently struggling with rising petrol prices, food insecurity, increasing transport costs and worsening insecurity across the country.

The former vice president said the situation reflected what he described as a “disturbing vacuum of political leadership,” despite there being no constitutional vacuum.

“Nigeria may not be facing a constitutional vacuum today, but there is a disturbing vacuum of political leadership,” Atiku said.

Atiku acknowledged that he had travelled and spent time outside Nigeria in the past but argued that the circumstances surrounding a private citizen’s travels were different from those of a sitting president.

He said the President’s responsibility to Nigerians required him to recognise moments when his presence was most needed in the country.

“There is a fundamental difference between the travels of a private citizen and the responsibility of the sitting President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he stated.

The ADC candidate listed several challenges confronting Nigerians, including the high cost of petrol, rising food prices, expensive transportation and persistent insecurity.

According to him, many families are being forced to cut back on food consumption, while travelling has become increasingly difficult for ordinary Nigerians because of high transport fares.

Atiku also expressed concern over the fact that Vice President Kashim Shettima was reportedly outside the country on official duty at the time of Tinubu’s departure.

“The Vice President is abroad on official duty. That makes the President’s decision even more difficult to understand,” he said.

He argued that leadership was not simply about occupying a constitutional office but also about making appropriate decisions during periods of national difficulty.

Using a family caught in a burning building as an analogy, Atiku said a responsible father would not leave his family in danger simply because he needed to travel.

“A father may travel when all is well. But when his roof is burning and his family is trapped inside, he does not pick up his suitcase and head for the airport,” he said.

Atiku stressed that his criticism was not based on the belief that a president should never take time off or travel outside the country.

Rather, he said the issue was whether the timing of Tinubu’s vacation was appropriate given the hardship confronting Nigerians.

“It is not that a President must never rest or travel. It is that Nigeria is burning, and the President has chosen a boarding pass over the fire extinguisher,” Atiku stated.

He further claimed that millions of Nigerians were struggling to cope with the cost of living while the President was travelling abroad.

“Millions of Nigerians are being grounded by hardship while their President is airborne. The people can barely afford to move, but the President keeps moving,” he said.

Atiku concluded by accusing the Tinubu administration of failing to adequately appreciate the hardship being experienced by citizens.