Breaking: Tinubu Asked To Resign as Atiku Gives Conditions

• Atiku Abubakar issued a 7-day ultimatum to President Tinubu over his failure to act on the Federal Audit Service Bill transmitted by the National Assembly
• The former Vice President cited Section 58(4) of the 1999 Constitution, which requires the President to assent or withhold assent within 30 days of receiving a bill
• Atiku warned that ignoring constitutional timelines weakens institutional accountability and linked the delay to the recent PFIPC controversy

Find it fast with our new search feature at Legit.ng!

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has given President Bola Tinubu a seven-day deadline to either sign the Federal Audit Service Bill into law, formally reject it, or vacate the presidency, citing what he described as a clear constitutional violation.

In a statement cited by Legit.ng and issued on Thursday, July 10, 2026, through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku invoked Section 58(4) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), which states that once a bill is presented to the President for assent, "he shall within thirty days thereof signify that he assents or that he withholds assent."

The former presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) argued that Tinubu had allowed that window to lapse without action.

"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 said in the statement.

From breaking news to viral moments. Follow Legit.ng on Instagram.

Audit reform and accountability at stake

Atiku described the Federal Audit Service Bill as critical legislation designed to modernise Nigeria's public audit framework, bolster the independence of the Auditor-General's office, and tighten oversight of government expenditure.

He argued that allowing such a bill to gather dust signals deliberate hostility towards institutional reform at a moment when Nigerians are clamouring for greater transparency in public finance management.

The opposition figure connected the stalled legislation to the recent controversy surrounding the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), arguing that both situations reflect the same underlying problem: weak institutional safeguards and an administration comfortable operating beyond the boundaries set by law.

"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 Issues direct warning to Tinubu

Atiku framed his ultimatum in stark terms, insisting that executive authority does not grant a president the right to pick and choose which constitutional obligations to honour.

"The same Constitution that confers enormous powers on the President also places clear obligations upon him. Executive authority is not a licence for constitutional indifference. A President who expects citizens to obey the law must himself be the foremost example of obedience to the Constitution."

He called on Tinubu to either assent to the bill, formally communicate his reasons for withholding assent to the National Assembly and the public, or voluntarily quit office within seven days.

"Nigerians deserve clarity, not silence. The Constitution neither authorises executive inaction nor contemplates indefinite presidential delay," Atiku added.

Atiku has previously criticised the Tinubu administration over the PFIPC affair, calling for an independent inquiry into the scandal and arguing that the government's own oversight body, the ICPC, cannot credibly investigate the presidency.

Atiku not yet retired

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that ahead of the 2027 elections, Atiku accused "anti-democratic elements" of attempting to create confusion and dampen the momentum of the ADC.

According to a statement by Atiku's media office, the former vice president said insinuations that he had quit active politics were fake news.