By Sandra Kenneth
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has issued a seven-day ultimatum to President Bola Tinubu, demanding that he either sign the Federal Audit Service Bill into law or formally communicate his reasons for withholding assent to the National Assembly.
He said failure to sign the bill should result in the president’s resignation.
In a statement released on Friday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku accused the president of violating the 1999 Constitution (as amended) by failing to act on the bill within the legally prescribed timeframe. He warned that continued inaction seriously undermines democratic governance and public accountability.
“Nigerians deserve clarity, not silence,” Atiku said in the statement. “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.”
Citing Section 58(4) of the 1999 Constitution, Atiku emphasized that the president must signify within 30 days whether he assents to or withholds assent from a bill presented to him. He argued that the provision is a mandatory constitutional command, rather than a discretionary choice, noting that the framers of the constitution never intended for legislation to be indefinitely stalled.
The Federal Audit Service Bill aims to modernize Nigeria’s public audit system, strengthen the financial independence of the Office of the Auditor-General, and tighten oversight on government spending. Atiku noted that delaying a bill specifically designed to deepen transparency sends a damaging signal at a time when citizens are demanding stronger institutions and prudent resource management.
The former vice president further alleged that the delay fits into a broader, worrying pattern of institutional neglect by the current administration.
“Every major scandal begins with a smaller act of institutional neglect,” Atiku stated. “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.”
To illustrate his concerns over weak institutional safeguards, Atiku pointed to recent communication controversies surrounding the proposed Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council. He concluded by warning that a selective approach to obeying the law gradually turns executive impunity into institutional culture, forcing governance into a state of perpetual crisis management.
