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.

Presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Development Coalition (NDC), Peter Obi, has challenged the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), to make his academic records available for public scrutiny, insisting that he has nothing to hide.

Obi made the call in a post on X on Tuesday amid renewed controversy over his educational credentials and ongoing legal proceedings involving the university, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).

The controversy followed three separate suits filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja by Abayomi Arabambi, a former National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, over the alleged refusal by the institutions to release documents relating to Obi’s academic qualifications.

Arabambi also alleged discrepancies in the way Obi’s name appeared on documents submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and educational institutions.

Responding to the development, Obi said he welcomed legitimate scrutiny of his educational background and directed UNN to release his academic certificates, records and other official documents relating to his admission and studies, subject to applicable laws.

He similarly called on other institutions he attended in Nigeria and abroad to make his records available in accordance with established legal procedures.

According to the former Anambra State governor, transparency and accountability must be central to the conduct of anyone seeking to occupy the highest political office in the country.

“As a presidential candidate seeking the trust of Nigerians to lead our country, I welcome legitimate public interest in my background, qualifications, and record,” Obi said.

He added that political leaders should be prepared to subject themselves to scrutiny and demonstrate through their actions that they have nothing to conceal from the people they seek to govern.

Obi also challenged other presidential candidates to make their educational qualifications and relevant records available for public examination.

He argued that such disclosure should not be viewed as an attack but as a means of strengthening public confidence, promoting accountability and restoring Nigerians’ trust in political institutions.

“If we desire a Nigeria founded on transparency, integrity, accountability, and respect for institutions, those values must begin with those who seek to lead it,” he said.

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has reaffirmed his support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election in 2027, while insisting that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) remains free to field candidates in other elective positions.

Wike said his decision to mobilise support for Tinubu’s second-term bid should not be interpreted to mean that the PDP would withdraw from the governorship, National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections.

The minister made the clarification in a statement issued on Tuesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka.

Wike also dismissed claims that the emerging “rainbow coalition” was an arrangement with the All Progressives Congress (APC), describing it instead as a platform through which members of different political parties could mobilise support for President Tinubu.

According to him, his political support for Tinubu is strictly focused on the presidential election and does not amount to an undertaking to help individuals secure victory in other elections across the states.

“Politics is local and those having problems in their States should resolve them instead of using the reelection of the President to whip up sentiments,” Wike said.

The FCT minister recalled that he and other members of the G5 governors did not negotiate with the APC before supporting Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election.

He argued that the outcome of the 2023 elections in states such as Imo, Abia, Enugu and Ebonyi demonstrated that voters could support different political parties in presidential and National Assembly elections held on the same day.

Wike cited the victory of APC candidates in some senatorial contests in the affected states despite the party recording relatively low presidential votes as evidence that electoral alliances should not be interpreted solely from party structures.

He maintained that similar voting patterns could emerge in 2027, provided political stakeholders genuinely mobilise support for Tinubu at the grassroots.

“What I said and stand for is that I will mobilise support for the reelection of the President. I never promised anyone that PDP will not field candidates to contest governorship, National Assembly and States House of Assembly elections,” he said.

Wike further stressed that the rainbow coalition had no formal connection with the APC, but was designed to mobilise support for Tinubu across political party lines.

“Most importantly, rainbow coalition has nothing to do with the APC. Rather, it is our own way of mobilising support across political parties for Mr President, who has done well to deserve a second term,” he added.

The clarification comes amid growing political realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections, with Wike maintaining his position in support of Tinubu while remaining a member of the opposition PDP.