Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has demanded a full explanation from President Bola Tinubu over his decision to miss the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, describing his absence for the third consecutive year as a pattern that can no longer be dismissed as coincidence or routine delegation. In a statement issued on Sunday, September 20, 2026, by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the African Democratic Congress presidential candidate questioned whether the President's documented history with United States law enforcement agencies had become a burden on Nigeria's foreign relations.
Atiku noted that Tinubu stayed away from the 79th UNGA in 2024, the 80th in 2025, and now the 81st in 2026, repeatedly sending Vice President Kashim Shettima to stand in for him. The Presidency confirmed on Sunday that Shettima would lead Nigeria's delegation to the 81st UNGA, which begins its high-level General Debate on September 22, with Tinubu directing him to represent the country at the session. Shettima departed Nigeria on Saturday for New York, where he is expected to deliver Nigeria's national statement and participate in high-level meetings on the right to development and climate action.
Atiku argued that while Shettima could represent Nigeria capably, representation by delegation could not permanently substitute for the personal authority, visibility and responsibility of the President. "Tinubu cannot continue to treat Nigeria's seat at the world's biggest diplomatic table as though it were an inconvenient appointment that can be endlessly outsourced," he said. He stressed that UNGA was not merely a ceremonial gathering or an annual photo opportunity, noting that its sidelines were where leaders held decisive bilateral meetings, courted investors, negotiated trade partnerships, mobilised development finance and made the case for their countries. "Investment does not follow silence. International capital does not pursue a country whose leader repeatedly abandons the room in which consequential economic relationships are being built," Atiku added. He warned that the cost would eventually be transferred to ordinary citizens through fewer investments, fewer businesses, fewer jobs, pressure on the naira, and higher living costs.
The former vice president also drew attention to earlier assurances by Nigeria's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim, that Tinubu would attend the 2026 UNGA and occupy a seat close to United States President Donald Trump. In July, Ibrahim had said Tinubu had confirmed his attendance and would occupy a prominent front-row position. "The seat was secured, but the President disappeared," Atiku said, asking why the President would abandon an opportunity he had publicly celebrated. He also questioned the reported expenditure of up to $9 million on American lobbyists, asking why Nigeria would spend millions of dollars on lobbying efforts in Washington while the President repeatedly failed to attend the UNGA in New York. Documents filed under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act show that the Federal Government, through Kaduna-based Aster Legal, retained Washington-based DCI Group in a deal valued at $9 million to help communicate Nigeria's security efforts and maintain US support for counterterrorism efforts. Reports said the initial $4.5 million retainer was paid, with the arrangement structured at $750,000 per month. "What exactly did Nigerians purchase with that money?" Atiku asked.
Atiku further linked Tinubu's absence to questions surrounding his history in the United States, particularly a 1993 forfeiture proceeding involving funds connected to Tinubu and associated companies. He cited Case No. 93 C 4483 before the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and alleged that the proceedings resulted in the forfeiture of about $460,000 to the US government. He acknowledged that neither the Presidency nor any available official statement had established that Tinubu was legally barred from travelling to the United States. "We are not asserting that Tinubu is legally prohibited from entering the United States," he said, while demanding clarification over the reason for the President's repeated absence. "Nigerians are therefore entitled to ask whether Tinubu's three consecutive UNGA absences have anything to do with this documented American history," he added.
Atiku also questioned the contrast between Nigeria's military projection abroad and the President's absence from the UN platform, citing the deployment of Nigerian troops and fighter jets to Benin Republic following the December 2025 attempted coup while insecurity persisted at home. "Nigeria could project military power across its border, yet its President could not project Nigeria's voice from its seat at the United Nations," he said.
The Presidency has yet to issue a formal response to Atiku's allegations. However, on September 8, 2026, Ambassador Ibrahim dismissed reports suggesting that Tinubu would face arrest or movement restrictions in the United States during the UNGA, stating that the Nigerian Mission had received no communication from the US government indicating any restriction on the President's movement. He said Tinubu and his family enjoyed unimpeded transit under the UN-US agreement. The security concerns that reportedly influenced the decision to shelve the trip were linked to intelligence about a planned anti-Tinubu protest in New York by Nigerians in the United States. A source said the demonstration was connected to ongoing efforts to secure the release of records relating to Tinubu's activities in Chicago in the early 1990s.
Meanwhile, a US-based lobbying firm engaged by Atiku, Von-Batten-Montague-York, claimed in a post on its X account that efforts by President Tinubu to secure an endorsement from US President Donald Trump ahead of Nigeria's 2027 presidential election had failed. "The proposed White House meeting is dead," the firm said, claiming that any endorsement of Tinubu in the upcoming election had also collapsed.
As the 81st UNGA begins its high-level debate, the question Atiku has placed before the Presidency remains unanswered: what is President Tinubu afraid of in the United States? For now, Vice President Shettima will occupy Nigeria's seat at the world's biggest diplomatic table, but the shadow of the President's absence continues to loom large over the country's international engagements.
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