Arise Television Morning Show anchor, Rufai Oseni, has questioned Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s decision to reject being addressed as Nigeria’s acting president while President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima were outside the country.
Oseni made the remarks on Monday while analysing the prolonged absence of both the President and Vice President from Nigeria. He argued that Akpabio’s insistence that he was not acting president raised questions about how willing the National Assembly was to exercise its constitutional responsibilities as a separate arm of government.
According to the television host, Nigerians should not necessarily expect the National Assembly to mount a strong challenge against the executive, citing its previous support for the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.
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Oseni recalled that political tensions between Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, preceded the federal government’s decision to impose emergency rule in the state.
He also questioned the manner in which the National Assembly approved the declaration, noting that the decision was endorsed through voice votes.
Oseni said the situation demonstrated the difficulty of expecting the legislature to effectively challenge presidential decisions.
He further explained that Akpabio had to publicly distance himself from the acting-president designation after political associates began referring to him by that title during the absence of Tinubu and Shettima.
The presenter argued that the development highlighted the importance of maintaining the separation of powers envisaged by Nigeria’s constitutional system.
He said the National Assembly is constitutionally expected to operate as a co-equal arm of government alongside the executive and judiciary.
Oseni’s comments have added to the public discussion surrounding presidential succession, constitutional authority and the role of the legislature whenever both the President and Vice President are temporarily unavailable.
