The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has given President Bola Tinubu a seven-day ultimatum to either act on the Federal Audit Service Bill in line with the Constitution or resign from office.

Atiku accused the President of disregarding constitutional provisions and undermining institutional accountability by failing to conclude action on the bill several months after it was transmitted by the National Assembly.

In a statement issued on Friday in Abuja by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the former Vice President said Tinubu’s continued inaction on the legislation violated Section 58(4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which requires the President to either assent to a bill or withhold assent within 30 days of its presentation.

Quoting the constitutional provision, Atiku said: “Where a Bill is presented to the President for assent, he shall within thirty days thereof signify that he assents or that he withholds assent.”

He argued that the provision is mandatory and not subject to the President’s discretion.
“That provision is neither decorative nor discretionary. It is a constitutional command. The framers of our Constitution never envisaged a President who would simply sit on legislation indefinitely while governance drifts without certainty or accountability,” he said.

According to Atiku, the Federal Audit Service Bill was designed to modernise Nigeria’s public audit framework by strengthening the independence of the Auditor-General and enhancing oversight of government expenditure.

He said delaying action on legislation aimed at improving transparency and accountability sends the wrong signal at a time when Nigerians are demanding stronger institutions and greater fiscal responsibility.
“Every major scandal begins with a smaller act of institutional neglect. It begins when constitutional provisions are treated as optional, when oversight institutions are weakened and when those entrusted with enforcing the law become comfortable operating outside its clear boundaries,” he stated.

The former Vice President also linked the issue to the recent controversy surrounding the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), arguing that regardless of the outcome of ongoing investigations or official reviews, the development highlighted the consequences of weak institutional safeguards, conflicting official narratives and declining public confidence in governance.

He said the failure to observe constitutional timelines and strengthen accountability institutions creates an environment in which governance controversies can flourish.

“If constitutional timelines can be ignored without consequence, if accountability legislation can remain unattended beyond the period contemplated by the Constitution, and if institutions responsible for safeguarding public resources are denied the reforms they require, then no Nigerian should be surprised when controversies emerge over public institutions, government approvals and official processes,” Atiku said.

He warned that selective compliance with constitutional obligations undermines respect for the rule of law and weakens every other constitutional safeguard designed to promote accountability.

Atiku consequently called on Tinubu to comply with the constitutional requirement under Section 58(4) within seven days by either assenting to the Federal Audit Service Bill or formally communicating to the National Assembly and Nigerians his decision to withhold assent and the reasons for doing so.

He maintained that failure to take either step within the stipulated period would amount to continued disregard for the Constitution, insisting that the President should voluntarily resign if he was unwilling to fulfil his constitutional responsibilities.