Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has challenged President Bola Tinubu to comply with the Constitution by taking action on the Federal Audit Service Bill or resign from office.
In a statement issued on Friday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku accused the President of failing to uphold constitutional provisions by not acting on the bill months after it was transmitted by the National Assembly.
The former Vice President cited Section 58(4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which provides that the President must, within 30 days of receiving a bill, either assent to it or communicate his decision to withhold assent.
According to Atiku, the constitutional provision is mandatory and not subject to personal discretion.
“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,” he said.
Atiku described the Federal Audit Service Bill as a critical piece of legislation intended to modernise Nigeria’s audit system, strengthen the independence of the Auditor-General and improve oversight of public expenditure.
He argued that delaying action on a bill designed to promote transparency and accountability sends the wrong signal at a time when Nigerians are demanding stronger public institutions.
“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,” he stated.
The former Vice President also linked the issue to the recent controversy surrounding the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), saying the episode highlighted the risks associated with weak institutional safeguards, conflicting official narratives and declining public confidence in governance.
According to him, failure to respect constitutional timelines and strengthen accountability institutions creates conditions that allow governance controversies to flourish.
“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,” he said.
Atiku warned that disregarding one constitutional obligation weakens respect for the entire constitutional framework.
He subsequently gave President Tinubu a seven-day ultimatum to fulfil his constitutional obligation by either assenting to the Federal Audit Service Bill or formally informing the National Assembly and Nigerians of his reasons for withholding assent.
He further stated that if neither action is taken within the stipulated period, the President should voluntarily resign from office.