Vice President Kashim Shettima has returned to Nigeria after representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, United States.

Shettima departed Abuja on September 20 to lead Nigeria’s delegation to the annual global gathering, according to a statement issued on Monday by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Stanley Nkwocha.

During the visit, the Vice President delivered President Tinubu’s national statement at the General Debate, where Nigeria called for reforms to the UN Security Council, including permanent African representation.

He also advocated stronger global financing, increased climate support and deeper multilateral cooperation.

Shettima participated in the Third High-Level Roundtable of the Africa Minerals Strategy Group, where President Tinubu urged African countries to move beyond exporting raw minerals by investing in processing, manufacturing and value addition.

At an education financing event co-hosted by Nigeria and Italy, the Vice President reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to education and supported the Global Partnership for Education’s $5 billion financing campaign.

He also met with Nigerians in the Diaspora, highlighting their potential contributions through investment, expertise and professional networks.

Other engagements included meetings with the new leadership of the ECOWAS Commission and UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed.

Shettima has since returned to Nigeria following the engagements.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has dismissed speculation over a leadership vacuum in Nigeria, insisting that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu remains in charge of the country despite his continued stay abroad.

Akpabio spoke on Tuesday in Akwa Ibom State while inaugurating road projects executed by Governor Umo Eno. His comments came amid public debate over Tinubu’s extended working vacation and the simultaneous absence of Vice-President Kashim Shettima, who is attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The Senate President also rejected suggestions that he was currently acting as President, stressing that Tinubu remained in office and continued to direct the affairs of government.

“I am not the acting president, because the president is still in power. The president is on a working leave. So, there’s no absence in Aso Rock,” Akpabio said.

According to him, Tinubu can continue to discharge his responsibilities from abroad through modern communication technology.

“The world has become a global village; you can give instructions from the internet about anything, so why are people complaining?” he said.

Akpabio also cited Tinubu’s recent diplomatic engagements, including his interaction with French President Emmanuel Macron, as evidence that the President remains actively involved in official duties while abroad.

Addressing Tinubu’s absence from the UN General Assembly, Akpabio said Vice-President Shettima had represented Nigeria at the gathering.

He further insisted that there was no vacancy in the presidency, stating that Tinubu remained in control of the country’s affairs.

“Right now, there is no vacancy. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is still in power and is still running the affairs of Nigeria,” he said.

Akpabio’s remarks come amid renewed public and political debate over the constitutional implications of the President’s extended absence from Nigeria, particularly with Shettima also outside the country.

The Presidency had announced that Tinubu’s working vacation, which began on August 30, had been extended by a few days, with his return expected at the weekend.

The development has continued to attract differing political interpretations, with some opposition figures questioning the arrangements for the exercise of presidential powers during the President’s absence. Akpabio, however, maintained that there is no presidential vacancy and that Tinubu remains in charge.

Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Masari, has said that in his nearly 40 years in politics, he has never seen a Nigerian president with better plans for the country than President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Masari made the statement in a video published on Tuesday by HM Arewa, a Hausa-language media group, while addressing a group of women at a recent public function reportedly held in Kaduna.

According to him, he is convinced that Tinubu has a clear plan to move Nigeria forward.

“Even if I were asked to swear, on my age and my political involvement for almost 40 years, I can confidently say I have never seen a president with better plans to make Nigeria great than Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” Masari said.

The former Katsina governor also criticised those who claim that the Tinubu administration has achieved nothing, saying similar criticisms were made against previous governments.

He cited the administrations of former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan, saying both faced accusations of sectionalism and other divisive issues.

Masari said the same pattern was now being repeated against Tinubu.

He also criticised the use of religious and ethnic sentiments in political discussions, questioning attempts to associate particular religions exclusively with specific ethnic groups.

The former governor appealed to women preachers and other influential women to discourage divisive rhetoric, particularly as the 2027 general election approaches.

“Each and every one of you knows how to talk to her husband or children better than anyone else can,” he said, urging them to use their influence to promote peace and unity.

Masari served as Speaker of the House of Representatives from 2003 to 2007 and later governed Katsina State from 2015 to 2023.

In August, he was appointed Deputy Director-General, Parliamentary Mobilisation, of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council for Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.