VP Osinbajo and President Buhari.
Newsone reports that Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari for the first time in recent years declared publicly that Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo will be in charge during his two-week medical vacation.
This online news platform understands that President Buhari handed over to VP Osinbajo just before he departed Abuja, Nigeria’s capital for London, the United Kingdom on Sunday, March 6, 2022.
Newsone Nigeria reports that though there was no inking if President Buhari had written the National Assembly to formally transmit power to Osinbajo, he said the “Vice-President is in charge’’
The President told State House correspondents before departing for the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, that there would be no vacuum as a result of his absence, saying he has capable hands to run the government.
“Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo will be in charge while I’m away. Well, I cannot claim to be doing the work alone. The government is fully represented.
“The Vice-President is there; constitutionally when I’m away he is in charge and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and then the Chief of Staff. So I have no problem,’’ Persecondnews quotes Buhari as saying as he jetted out of the country.
Newsone recalls that Buhari had on Friday returned to Abuja after attending the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) at 50 in Nairobi, Kenya, on the invitation of Kenyan President.
On the ability of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nigeria’s ruling political party, to conduct a successful national convention, President Buhari expressed the optimism that it had the capacity to organize the convention as scheduled.
“Well, they should wait and see. How did we come as a party to take power from the ruling party (PDP) who had been there before us for so many years? So we have the capacity, everything will be alright,’’ he said in response to reporters’ questions.
Newsone recalls that APC had postponed its convention twice since 2021 and the last being February 26, 2022. Party members have been expressing doubts about the feasibility of the March 26 new convention date as a result of unresolved crises in some state chapters particularly Kwara, Ogun, Osun, Zamfara and Oyo States.
Other vexed issue is the choice of APC National Chairman through consensus which has pitted President Buhari against the governors.