‘This Is An Insult’ – Wabara Blasts Tinubu, Shettima ‘For Leaving Nigeria Headless’

Former Senate President, Senator Adolphus Wabara, has slammed President Bola Tinubu, and Vice President, Kashim Shettima, over their simultaneous foreign trips, describing it as the height of executive rascality.

Recall that while President Tinubu travelled to France for a two-week working visit, Shettima departed for Dakar, Senegal, to represent the President during the country’s 65th Independence Day anniversary celebrations on April 4, 2025.

Expressing disappointment over the situation, Wabara, in a statement, faulted Tinubu and Shettima ‘for leaving Nigeria headless. ‘

According to him, if Nigeria must be represented at the event in Senegal, the relevant government official, in this case, the foreign affairs minister, should have been delegated instead of Shettima.

Senator Wabara, the Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) recalled that it was not the first time Tinubu and Shettima would be travelling out of the country at the same time, stressing it amounts to a flagrant display of disdain for the people they sworn an oath to defent.

He argued that abandoning the country when many national issues required Tinubu and Shettima’s attention “is to say the least, an insult both to Nigeria and the offices they occupy.”

He advised President Tinubu to follow due process and the standard practice in governance and stop making the nation’s democracy a laughing stock before the global community.

Wabara said, “It’s baffling to hear that the President and his Vice both abandoned governance and travelled out of the country simultaneously, thus leaving the country headless.

“It is a serious dereliction of duty and display of utter disregard for the people of Nigeria. While Mr President has the right to travel outside the country when necessary, he should duly hand over power to his Vice in an acting capacity.

“It is absolutely not proper for the VP who should be the Acting president to also travel out of the country while Mr President is still away. The office of the president and vice president of a country is so serious that the occupants should place national interest above personal gains.

‘’How can the country be burning and the number one and number two citizens of the country be away? This can only happen in Nigeria.

“How else can a leader show disdain for the people he swore an oath to lead and defend. Leaving the country headless at a time so many boiling issues demand presidential intervention is a misplacement of priority.

“With the rising tension in Edo State and threats of reprisal in parts of the north; the bloodbath in Plateau, Zamfara, Sokoto and Benue; the political apprehension in Rivers and Bayelsa states; plus the festering insecurity in many states, travelling out of Nigeria is the least to expect from any serious-minded, patriotic President and his Vice.

“Tinubu and his vice, have again, clearly demonstrated that either they are overwhelmed or simply not prepared for governance. They have shown that they have little or no regard for Nigeria and Nigerians.”