Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has demanded an explanation from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over his decision to stay away from the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, questioning whether issues surrounding the President’s past dealings in the United States have influenced his repeated absence.
Atiku’s reaction followed confirmation by the Presidency that Vice President Kashim Shettima would lead Nigeria’s delegation to the 81st UNGA and deliver the country’s national statement. The high-level delegation is expected to include governors, ministers and other senior government officials.
In a statement issued yesterday in Abuja by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku described Tinubu’s absence from the 79th UNGA in 2024, the 80th in 2025 and the current 81st session in 2026 as a pattern that, in his view, requires clarification from the Presidency.
He acknowledged that Shettima could represent Nigeria at the gathering but argued that the Vice President’s participation could not permanently substitute for the diplomatic visibility and authority associated with the personal presence of a president.
According to Atiku, the UNGA provides heads of government with opportunities to hold bilateral meetings, negotiate partnerships, attract investment and discuss matters relating to trade, security, development and international cooperation.
He therefore questioned whether Nigeria was losing opportunities by repeatedly sending the Vice President in place of the President.
“A President may surrender his seat, but a nation cannot escape the bill,” Atiku said.
The former vice president also referred to earlier comments by Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim, who had reportedly said Tinubu would attend the 2026 UNGA and occupy a prominent position close to United States President Donald Trump.
Atiku consequently questioned why the President would not attend after arrangements had allegedly been made for his seat.
“The seat was secured, but the President disappeared,” he said.
He also questioned reports of Nigeria spending as much as $9 million on American lobbyists, asking why such expenditure would be incurred while the President repeatedly stayed away from the UN gathering in New York.
Atiku further raised questions about Tinubu’s past legal proceedings in the United States, particularly a 1993 forfeiture case involving funds linked to the President and associated companies.
He referenced 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.
Atiku, however, 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 on the reason for the President’s repeated absence.
The question of Tinubu’s ability to travel to the United States has also featured in recent public discussions. Ibrahim had reportedly said the Nigerian Mission to the UN received no notification from the US government imposing any restriction on the President’s movement.
Atiku therefore challenged the Presidency to state whether there was any legal, diplomatic, medical or personal reason preventing Tinubu from attending the UNGA.
“If there is no impediment, the Presidency must explain this serial absenteeism. If an impediment exists, Nigerians have a right to know,” he said.
The former vice president also criticised what he described as a contradiction between the administration’s domestic political posture and the President’s absence from major international diplomatic engagements.
He questioned the rationale for Nigeria’s participation in regional military interventions while the President was not personally attending the UNGA.
Atiku specifically cited Nigeria’s military intervention in the Benin Republic following the December 2025 attempted coup, contrasting it with Tinubu’s decision to send his deputy to represent the country at the UN.
He insisted that Nigeria’s diplomatic and economic interests should not be subordinated to matters relating to the President’s personal history in the United States.
“Nigeria is bigger than Bola,” Atiku said, while demanding an explanation over why Tinubu would not occupy the seat reportedly reserved for him near Trump.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian government has maintained that the country will be adequately represented at the 81st UNGA.
Shettima is expected to deliver Nigeria’s national statement and participate in high-level meetings during the UNGA week. The United Nations says the general debate of the 81st session runs from September 22 to 26, with a further sitting on September 28.
The 81st UNGA opened on September 8, 2026, under the theme, “Restoring trust, managing transformation: a United Nations that delivers for all.”
