‘It Never Happened Before’ – Odinkalu Slams Tinubu, Shettima For ‘Abandoning’ Nigeria

Former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Chidi Odinkalu, has accused President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima of consistently leaving the country without providing proper leadership.

Naija News recalls that while Tinubu is currently in Paris on an extended vacation, Shettima is attending the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, United States.

Reacting, Odinkalu, during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, said the situation has never happened before, noting that no president would leave the country while the vice president was also away.

Odinkalu cited former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Musa Yar’Adua and Muhammadu Buhari, who always handed over power to their vice presidents when they left the country for a long time.

He said, “This is the first administration where the vice president and the president are making it a habit to leave the country without providing proper leadership.

“It never happened before. Usually, it’s been a common rule and a strong tradition in government that no president would leave the country while the vice president was also away. It never happened.

“It was not permitted. This is the first time it has turned into a habit. During the time when Muhammadu Buhari was in power, every time Buhari left the country, Osinbajo had to stay inside the country.

“Under Obasanjo, Obasanjo would never contemplate it. Yar’Adua did not contemplate it. Jonathan did not allow it. No matter how you look at Section 145, there’s no mention of a working vacation in that part of the text. Section 145 deals with being away from the country for a period of 21 days.”