Rufai Oseni Reveals Why Akpabio Rejected Acting President Title

Arise Television anchor Rufai Oseni has offered his interpretation of why Senate President Godswill Akpabio distanced himself from being addressed as Nigeria’s acting president while President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima were outside the country.

According to Bush Radio Academy, Oseni said Akpabio’s public clarification that he was not the acting president raised questions about the relationship between the National Assembly and the executive arm of government.

Oseni made the remarks while discussing the implications of Tinubu’s absence from the country. He argued that Nigerians should not expect the National Assembly to strongly challenge the executive, citing its previous endorsement of the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.

The television anchor questioned whether Akpabio could effectively lead the legislature in asserting its constitutional powers while simultaneously distancing himself from the controversy surrounding the acting-president title.

Oseni recalled that some political associates of Akpabio had reportedly begun referring to him as acting president while Tinubu and Shettima were away. He said Akpabio subsequently had to publicly reject the description and clarify his position.

According to Oseni, the clarification was necessary because the emergence of the title among Akpabio’s political associates could have created concerns within the political establishment about the authority being exercised in the president’s absence.

He also questioned whether the National Assembly would be prepared to assert its independence as a co-equal arm of government, particularly in situations involving disagreements with the executive.

Oseni pointed to the National Assembly’s earlier endorsement of the state of emergency in Rivers State as an example of what he regarded as the legislature’s willingness to support an executive decision.

He argued that the constitutional principle of separation of powers requires the executive, legislature and judiciary to operate as distinct arms of government with their respective responsibilities and powers.

The broadcaster maintained that the controversy surrounding Akpabio’s description as acting president should therefore be viewed within the broader context of constitutional authority, presidential absence and the role of the National Assembly in Nigeria’s system of government.