President Bola Tinubu has left Abuja for Europe on a three-week annual leave, with a presidential aide explaining that the break is intended to enable him to rest and “refuel” ahead of months of intense political activities associated with the 2027 elections.
Tinubu departed the Federal Capital Territory on Sunday after a ceremonial send-off at the airport attended by government officials, security personnel and military officers.
The President is expected to spend the first part of his holiday in London, United Kingdom, before returning to Nigeria to participate in preparations for the 2027 election campaign.
Explaining the rationale behind the President’s trip, the Presidential Adviser on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, said Tinubu had been heavily engaged with governance over the past several months, particularly on security and economic matters.
Dare said the President needed the break to recharge before the commencement of what is expected to be a demanding political season.
“The President has had several months—six, seven months—of being engaged with state matters. We’ve seen monumental changes, monumental decisions taken with our security, with our economy and so many other things as pertains to the running of the affairs of this country,” he said.
According to the aide, the 2027 campaign season had already commenced and would require several months of political engagements, even though the administration’s governance responsibilities would continue.
“And at this point, the campaign season has just started. We have four, five months of serious campaigning. Of course, governance will still continue,” Dare said.
He stressed that the leave was necessary for the President to regain energy ahead of the campaign period, while assuring Nigerians that Tinubu would remain abreast of developments in the country throughout his stay abroad.
“And at this point, it’s important that the President also refuels. And even though he’s going on leave, we know that he’ll be engaged with state matters on a daily basis. He will receive briefings from his ministers, from the service chiefs as the case may be, and from every other person who is handling very key decisions in our country,” he said.
Tinubu’s departure came after his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, announced that the President would proceed on a three-week annual vacation in Europe.
Onanuga disclosed that London would be Tinubu’s initial destination, adding that the President would return to Nigeria after the working vacation to join the campaign activities ahead of the January 2027 election.
The President’s vacation follows the recent return of Vice President Kashim Shettima, who completed a two-week leave on August 18, two days before his initially scheduled return.
Shettima had commenced his vacation on August 6, with his office saying the period would be devoted to “study, reflection and intellectual renewal.”
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