Atiku Gives Tinubu Seven Days To Sign Audit Bill Or Resign

The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has given President Bola Tinubu a seven-day ultimatum to either comply with the Constitution by acting on the Federal Audit Service Bill or resign from office.

The demand was contained in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja by Atiku’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu.

Atiku accused the President of disregarding constitutional provisions by failing to take action 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: “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.”

According to him, the constitutional provision is mandatory and leaves no room for indefinite delay.

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 stated that the Federal Audit Service Bill was intended to modernise Nigeria’s audit system, strengthen the independence of the Auditor-General and improve oversight of public spending.

He argued that delaying action on legislation aimed at promoting transparency sends the wrong signal at a time 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.

The ADC presidential candidate also linked the issue to the recent controversy involving the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), saying the episode highlighted the consequences of weak institutional safeguards, conflicting official narratives and declining public confidence 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.

Atiku warned that ignoring one constitutional obligation weakens respect for other constitutional safeguards.

He consequently gave President Tinubu seven days to comply with the provisions of Section 58(4) by either assenting to the Federal Audit Service Bill or formally informing the National Assembly and Nigerians of his reasons for withholding assent, failing which he should voluntarily resign from office.