The Akwa Ibom State Government has stirred controversy after its official Facebook page described Senate President Godswill Akpabio as the “Acting President of Nigeria” during an event in Uyo.
The description appeared in a post covering the official reception of a newly acquired Airbus A220-300 aircraft for Ibom Air at the Victor Attah International Airport.
The post identified Akpabio, a former governor of Akwa Ibom State, as the “Acting President of Nigeria” and also referred to him as President of the Senate and Chairman of the National Assembly.
The description was subsequently removed from the post, although screenshots of the original wording had already circulated online.
The development has generated debate because President Bola Tinubu is currently outside Nigeria on vacation, while Vice President Kashim Shettima had also travelled to Angola to represent the President at an African Union summit.
Shettima returned to Nigeria on August 31 after completing his engagements in Angola.
The situation has also renewed discussion about who constitutionally exercises presidential functions when both the President and Vice President are temporarily outside the country.
Section 145 of the Nigerian Constitution provides for the Vice President to perform the functions of the President when the President transmits a written declaration that he is proceeding on vacation or otherwise unable to discharge his functions.
Section 146, meanwhile, provides for the Senate President to assume the office of President where the offices of both the President and Vice President become vacant. This provision relates to a vacancy in office rather than a temporary absence from the country.
The Akwa Ibom government’s post therefore attracted questions over whether the reference to Akpabio as Acting President was an error in preparing the social media content or reflected a particular interpretation of the current political situation.
Akpabio was in Uyo for the reception of Ibom Air’s latest aircraft as part of activities marking Akwa Ibom State’s 39th anniversary.
The new Airbus A220-300, registered as 5N-CDC, is the second of 10 aircraft ordered for Ibom Air under the administration of former Governor Udom Emmanuel.
The state government’s decision to subsequently edit the post and remove the controversial description has further drawn attention to the incident.
