Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to, within seven days, comply with the constitutional obligation imposed by Section 58(4) by either assenting to the Federal Audit Service Bill and formally communicating to the National Assembly and the Nigerian people his reasons for withholding assent, or voluntarily quit office.
Reacting to the development on Friday through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, he expressed concern over Tinubu’s continued failure to conclude action on the bill months after it was transmitted by the National Assembly.
The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) described the delay as yet another example of an administration that appeared increasingly indifferent to constitutional discipline, institutional accountability and the rule of law.
Atiku reminded the President that Section 58(4) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) provides:
“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.”
“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.”
The former vice president observed that the Federal Audit Service Bill was designed to modernise Nigeria’s audit architecture, strengthen the independence of the Auditor-General and improve oversight of public expenditure. Delaying action on legislation intended to reinforce transparency, he said, sends the wrong signal at a time when Nigerians are demanding stronger institutions and greater accountability in public finance.
Atiku said the President’s apparent disregard for a clear constitutional timeline reflects a broader pattern that has become increasingly evident under the present administration — a pattern in which constitutional safeguards and institutional checks are neglected until governance failures erupt into national controversies.
“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.
“That is why the recent controversy surrounding the so-called Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) should not be viewed merely as an isolated episode. Whatever conclusions ongoing investigations or official processes may ultimately reach, the controversy exposed the dangers that arise when institutional safeguards are weak, official narratives conflict and public confidence in governance is allowed to deteriorate.
“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.
“The Constitution is one indivisible covenant. A President who treats one constitutional obligation as optional inevitably weakens respect for every other constitutional safeguard. That is how impunity gradually becomes institutional culture and governance descends into perpetual crisis management rather than responsible leadership.”
Atiku stressed that constitutional government cannot survive on selective obedience to the law.
“The same Constitution that confers enormous powers on the President also places clear obligations upon him. Executive authority is not a licence for constitutional indifference. A President who expects citizens to obey the law must himself be the foremost example of obedience to the Constitution.”
“Nigerians deserve clarity, not silence. The Constitution neither authorises executive inaction nor contemplates indefinite presidential delay. Continued failure to act only reinforces public concern that constitutional obligations are increasingly being subordinated to executive convenience.
“Our democracy cannot flourish where constitutional timelines are ignored, accountability reforms are delayed and institutions are left vulnerable. Respect for the Constitution is not optional; it is the very foundation upon which public trust and democratic legitimacy rest,” he said.
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