The presidency on Tuesday explained why President Muhammadu Buhari did not transmit power to the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo before departing to London on a medical trip.
The President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu explained that power transmission was unnecessary as Buhari will continue ruling Nigeria from wherever he is.
He added that the constitution only says the President must hand over if he will be away for more than 21 days.
It will be recalled that President Buhari on Tuesday afternoon, departed the shores of Nigeria for London, the United Kingdom through the Abuja International Airport.
The President departed the country in one of the jets available in the presidential fleet, Naija News understands.
Buhari is not expected back in the country until the second week in April.
Reacting to the development, some Nigerians wondered why he didn’t officially hand over to his deputy, Prof Osinbajo.
But Garba in an interview with Channels TV explained that the President is not incapacitated, is internet savvy, and can work from wherever he is.
“It is a medical trip, and there is absolutely no urgency or emergency. “The President is not in any sick condition. It’s a routine medical checkup. The President has done this with a set of doctors that he has known over many years even before he came into office in 2015 and has continued to do that without any disruption.
“He (Buhari) will continue from wherever he is. The requirement of the law is if the President is going to be absent for 21 days or more, then the transmission is warranted.
“So in this particular instance, it is not warranted.”
On what would be done if there was a need to assent to documents, the presidential spokesman said: “Before he left, he just finished a meeting with security chiefs.
“He had excellent chat with the Vice President, Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Chief of Staff. So he has taken it all around.
“If it is warranted, these are transmissible by wire. The internet is there and the President is equally internet savvy. “Therefore, work can continue without any obstruction from wherever he is.”
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has lashed out at President Muhammadu Buhari over his latest medical trip to London, the United Kingdom for a check-up.
The PDP in a statement on Tuesday signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan lamented that the Buhari administration has wrecked the health sector so much that even the State House clinic can’t be trusted to carry out a routine medical check-up for the President.
The PDP said the failure of the current administration to fix the nation’s medical and healthcare system is responsible for the foreign medical trip.