• President begins three-week vacation in Europe
• Atiku points to disturbing leadership vacuum in Abuja

Allied Peoples Movement (APM) has called on the United States (U.S.) authorities to release the findings of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) report on alleged drug-trafficking activities linked to President Bola Tinubu.

This was as President Bola departed Abuja for Europe to begin a three-week vacation as part of his yearly leave. Tinubu’s first destination will be London, United Kingdom, where he is expected to spend part of the period before proceeding to other European destinations.

However, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar feared a leadership vacuum at the country’s seat of power, as Tinubu did not seem to have handed power to anyone. His deputy, Kashim Shettima, travelled to Angola, but there was no evidence of power transmission.

APM, in a statement yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Yusuf Abubakar, urged the U.S. authorities to make public portions of the report that would not compromise investigations, expose witnesses or investigators, or reveal sensitive investigative techniques.

The party said the disclosure had become necessary ahead of the 2027 presidential election, arguing that Nigerians were entitled to access to information that could help them make an informed decision at the polls.

It is alleged that the Tinubu administration’s continued efforts to prevent the report’s release have heightened public suspicion and fuelled concerns about an attempt to cover up relevant information.

According to the opposition party, withholding such information could have serious implications for Nigeria’s security, national integrity and democratic development.

It urged the U.S., which it described as a leading democracy, to support transparency and democratic consolidation, particularly in the international fight against drug trafficking and corruption.

The allegations involving Tinubu, APM said, had assumed an international dimension because of his position as President and a major contender in the 2027 presidential election.

The party also referred to an alleged 1993 forfeiture judgment involving $460,000 in accounts it said were traced to Tinubu by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois following an investigation into drug-related transactions.

The party further claimed that the forfeiture judgment, if proved, rendered Tinubu ineligible to contest an election under Section 137 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, citing Nigeria’s obligations under international conventions on drugs and money laundering.

“Against the backdrop of the coming Presidential election, the APM urges the U.S. authorities to assist Nigerians in their decision to elect a leader with clean records and not an individual encumbered by drug-related allegations and corruption cases,” the statement added.

TINUBU’S absence from the country comes as his administration enters another critical phase of its reform programme, with attention focused on the economy, security and other key areas of governance.

Although described as a vacation, the President’s trip is expected to provide an opportunity for rest and private engagements ahead of the demanding months of governance and political activities.

He is expected to return to Nigeria at the end of the three-week break and resume his official schedule as preparations for the 2027 general elections gradually gather momentum.

The development also comes against the backdrop of increasing political activities ahead of the next electoral cycle.

Aso Villa did not indicate whether the President would undertake any official engagements during the vacation or the other European destinations he may visit.

In a statement yesterday, the Presidential Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said Tinubu would depart Abuja for Europe today to commence his three-week leave.

ACCORDING to Atiku, Nigeria may not be facing a constitutional vacuum today, but there is a disturbing vacuum of political leadership.

He tweeted: “I have travelled, lived and spent time abroad, and I have never pretended otherwise. But there is a fundamental difference between the travels of a private citizen and the responsibility of the sitting President of Nigeria.

“Consider what Tinubu is leaving behind: petrol priced beyond the reach of ordinary people; families rationing food; transport fares that have turned a journey to one’s own village into a luxury; insecurity that buries Nigerians week after week; and in the middle of all this, President Tinubu has packed his bags for three weeks in Europe and the Vice President is abroad on official duty. That makes the President’s decision even more difficult to understand.”

He said a government that could not feel the pain it inflicted would never summon the will to end it.

Accusing Tinubu of making Nigeria expensive, he promised to reverse the trend if he becomes President.