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African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar has asked Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to explain his absence from the United Nations General Assembly for the third consecutive year.
In a statement issued Sunday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku questioned whether Tinubu’s reported history with United States law-enforcement agencies has affected Nigeria’s diplomatic engagement with the country.
According to Atiku, Tinubu did not attend the 79th UNGA in 2024 or the 80th session in 2025, while Vice President Kashim Shettima represented Nigeria at both gatherings.
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Shettima is also representing Nigeria at the 81st session in 2026.
Atiku said the repeated absence could no longer be regarded as routine delegation, arguing that the President’s personal presence at UNGA was important for advancing Nigeria’s diplomatic and economic interests.
“The United Nations General Assembly is one of the world’s most important diplomatic gatherings,” Atiku said, adding that it provides a platform for world leaders to defend national interests, negotiate partnerships and engage on issues including trade, security and development.
He said the Vice President’s representation could not permanently replace the President’s personal participation in high-level diplomatic engagements.
Atiku also linked Tinubu’s absence to the reported announcement by Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Jimoh Ibrahim, that a seat had been secured for the President near United States President Donald Trump.
“The seat was secured, but the President disappeared,” Atiku said.
He questioned why the seat would have been secured if Tinubu did not intend to attend the General Assembly.
Atiku further questioned the Nigerian Government’s reported expenditure on American lobbyists, alleging that up to $9 million had been committed to efforts to improve the administration’s standing in the United States.
He asked why such spending was necessary while Tinubu had repeatedly stayed away from UNGA in New York.
The former vice president also raised questions about Tinubu’s past legal proceedings in the United States.
He referred to a 1993 forfeiture case in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois involving funds held in accounts linked to Tinubu and companies associated with him.
Atiku said the case involved US government forfeiture proceedings and alleged that the funds were connected to narcotics trafficking and money laundering.
The proceedings resulted in the forfeiture of about $460,000, Atiku said.
However, Atiku acknowledged that he was not claiming Tinubu was legally barred from entering the United States, saying the Presidency had not announced any such restriction.
He nevertheless asked whether Tinubu’s repeated absence from UNGA was connected to concerns over renewed scrutiny of his history in the United States.
“Nigerians are therefore entitled to ask whether Tinubu’s three consecutive UNGA absences have anything to do with this documented American history,” Atiku said.
He demanded that the Presidency state whether any legal, diplomatic, medical, or personal impediment prevented Tinubu from travelling to the United States and explain the reason for his absence.
Atiku also criticised what he described as a decline in Nigeria’s visibility in international affairs under the Tinubu administration.
He cited Nigeria’s regional military intervention in Benin Republic following the December 2025 attempted coup as an example of what he described as a contradiction between the country’s projection of military power and the President’s absence from the UN platform.
“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.
Atiku said Nigeria’s diplomatic and economic interests should not be subordinated to any individual leader’s personal circumstances.
“Nigeria is bigger than Bola,” he said, demanding an explanation for what he described as the President’s “serial absenteeism” from the General Assembly.
Tinubu’s absence from the 81st UNGA comes as world leaders gather in New York for the high-level week, with the General Debate scheduled to begin on Tuesday, September 22.
The Presidency has yet to publicly respond to Atiku’s allegations in the statement provided.
— Atiku Abubakar (@atiku) September 20, 2026
