The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the 2027 general election, Prince Adewole Adebayo, has called for the impeachment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over what he described as an alleged violation of the 1999 Constitution.
Adebayo made the demand while reacting to the controversy surrounding the President’s absence from Nigeria and the constitutional procedure for transferring presidential powers to the Vice-President.
In a statement issued by the Adewole Adebayo-Bugaje Presidential Campaign Council and signed by its Director of Communications, Comrade Mark Adebayo, the SDP candidate alleged that Tinubu had prolonged his absence from the country without formally transmitting power to Vice-President Kashim Shettima.
The council relied on Section 145(1) of the Constitution, which provides that whenever the President proceeds on vacation or is otherwise unable to discharge the functions of his office, he is to transmit a written declaration to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
According to the council, the provision allows the Vice-President to perform the functions of President as Acting President until the President transmits a contrary declaration.
Adebayo argued that compliance with the constitutional provision was mandatory and should not depend on political considerations.
He also criticised the National Assembly for allegedly failing to exercise its constitutional oversight role, accusing lawmakers of not taking steps to address what he described as a serious constitutional issue.
The SDP candidate said the situation was particularly concerning because of reports about the absence of both the President and Vice-President from the country, arguing that there should be clarity over who was constitutionally empowered to exercise presidential authority at any given time.
“A country cannot be run like a private estate or an absentee-landlord enterprise. The Constitution is not a polite suggestion; it is the supreme law of the land,” Adebayo said.
He further argued that an alleged failure to comply with constitutional requirements regarding presidential authority should attract the appropriate constitutional remedy, which he identified as impeachment.
The campaign council also cited the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, saying Buhari had formally transmitted power to then Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo during periods of prolonged absence.
Adebayo subsequently called on Nigerians, civil society organisations and constitutional lawyers to scrutinise the circumstances surrounding the President’s absence and demand compliance with the provisions of the Constitution.
The controversy has generated differing political interpretations, with opposition figures questioning whether the constitutional requirements surrounding the President’s absence were followed, while government-aligned figures have maintained that Tinubu remains in charge of the administration.
Meanwhile, Adebayo also used the opportunity to outline his position on medical tourism, promising that an SDP administration would strengthen Nigeria’s healthcare institutions and reduce the need for public officials to seek medical treatment abroad.
He said public officials who choose to seek treatment outside Nigeria under his administration would have to bear the cost personally if the treatment could reasonably be obtained within the country.
