Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, has challenged President Bola Tinubu to either obey the rule of law by acting on the Federal Audit Service Bill or resign from office, accusing the president of indifference to constitutional discipline and institutional accountability.
In a statement released by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu on Friday in Abuja, Atiku expressed concern that Tinubu had failed to conclude action on the bill months after it was transmitted by the National Assembly.
Atiku cited Section 58(4) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), which stipulates that “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.”
He said; “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”.
Atiku mentioned that the Federal Audit Service Bill was designed to modernize Nigeria’s audit architecture, strengthen the independence of the Auditor-General, and improve oversight of public expenditure, adding that delaying action on legislation meant to reinforce transparency sends the wrong message at a time when Nigerians are demanding stronger 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 said.
Atiku related this pattern to the recent controversy surrounding the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), claiming that regardless of what ongoing investigations or official processes ultimately reveal, the episode highlighted the dangers of weak institutional safeguards, conflicting official narratives, and declining public trust in governance.
“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.
He warned that treating one fundamental requirement as optional inevitably diminishes respect for every other constitutional safeguard.
The former vice president, therefore, gave Tinubu a seven-day ultimatum to comply with the constitutional obligation imposed by Section 58(4), either by assenting to the Federal Audit Service Bill and formally communicating to the National Assembly and Nigerians his reasons for withholding assent or by voluntarily quitting office.
