Last week, President Bola Tinubu once again jetted out to the United Kingdom on a two-week annual vacation. According to his media office, he will ?work? from there.

The president?s trip Is in breach of Section 145(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as Amended). It provides that WHENEVER the president embarks on a vacation, he must write the Senate and House of Representatives a letter of transmission of power to the Vice President to hold the fort as the Acting President, until he resumes.

Section 145(2) also provides that failure by the President to do so within 21 days, the National Assembly by simple majority resolutions of its two chambers, shall mandate the Vice President to become Acting President until the President returns. These alterations of Section 145 became necessary after the nation was subjected to harrowing experiences due to the medical incapacitation of former Presidents Umar Yar?Adua and Muhammadu Buhari.

It is believed that President Tinubu has chosen to ignore this constitutional requirement, perhaps because of heightened political uncertainties.

He could also have learned from the experience of his predecessor, Buhari, whose absence resulted in some radical decisions by his Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, which departed from Buhari?s personal directions. These included the appointment of Justice Walter Onnoghen as Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN. Buhari had to use the Code of Conduct Tribunal to illegally get rid of Onnoghen and appoint his preferred candidate, Ibrahim Tanko Mohammed.

This cult of excessive suspicion ought not to be. After all, the VP is usually chosen by the President as a running mate. Besides, it is constitutionally impossible for the VP to usurp the President?s office when the First Citizen is ready to resume.

The most worrisome aspect is that Tinubu?s failure to transmit power to his VP hardly sparked the usual furore as we saw in previous instances concerning former presidents, Yar?Adua, Goodluck Jonathan and Buhari. Are we, as a nation, getting tired of rising against the abuse of power by our leaders? Are we not, by so doing, unwittingly lying supine to allow the wheel of dictatorship roll over us?

We need to wake up and become once again, the collective watchdogs of our democracy, which is being forcefully hijacked. Our leaders have found ways of running this country just as they like, and with very little regard to the provisions of the Constitution.

Instead of adherence to equity and the Federal Character principle of the Constitution, our presidents have entrenched extreme nepotism, and gotten away with it. They enjoy the health services of foreign countries, leaving our system comatose.

The National Assembly no longer raise their voices against constitutional impunities. We must stand up for our Constitution or say goodbye to democracy. (Vanguard)

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