Human rights activist and presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has demanded the immediate impeachment of President Bola Tinubu over his prolonged absence from Nigeria.
Sowore made the demand on Sunday, September 27, 2026, immediately after returning to the country from the United States, where he had been attending to personal matters, participating in a pro-Palestine rally, and addressing a cybercrime trial.
“If Tinubu is not back, we should be talking about impeachment,” Sowore stated during a media briefing shortly after his arrival.
He argued that the President’s extended stay abroad violates the spirit of the Nigerian Constitution, which requires a transparent transfer of power to the Vice President when the President is away from the country for more than 21 days.
The Presidency has previously stated that Tinubu’s absence was merely a working vacation. In a September 21 statement, the State House claimed the President remained in constant touch with developments at home and was fully capable of directing the affairs of the government remotely from wherever he was.
Sowore, however, firmly rejected this explanation, insisting that remote governance is not a valid substitute for physical presence in the nation’s capital.
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“No, he’s not. He can’t act wherever he is. There’s no working visitation. I mean, you have to be in town to be president of Nigeria,” Sowore said.
He drew a parallel to his own recent experience, noting that even as a political aspirant, he made sure to return to the ground after spending time with his family abroad.
“You have to, even as a person aspiring to be president. I could have been gone and said that I’m doing a virtual campaign, but I had to be back on the ground,” he explained.
Sowore maintained that the President’s physical absence raises serious constitutional questions about his capacity to lead the country effectively.
“If he’s not back, then we should be talking about his impeachment tomorrow morning,” he warned. “He’s no longer fit to continue as president. That means he’s incapacitated.”
This latest demand adds to the growing political friction surrounding the President’s travel habits, as opposition figures and civil society groups continue to question the transparency of his extended stays outside the country.
Promise Idoko is Junior Reporter working with moderncrux He covers global politics and international affairs. Based in Nigeria,
