Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has asked President Bola Tinubu to explain his decision to skip the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, marking the third consecutive year the President has delegated Vice President Kashim Shettima to represent Nigeria at the gathering.
The Presidency announced on Sunday that Tinubu had mandated Shettima to lead Nigeria’s delegation to the UNGA, which runs from September 22 to 28, 2026.
Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), said the repeated absence warranted public explanation, particularly because UNGA provides world leaders with opportunities to pursue diplomatic, investment, trade and development partnerships.
In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said Tinubu did not attend the 79th UNGA in 2024 or the 80th session in 2025, with Shettima representing him on both occasions.
He argued that while the Vice President could formally represent Nigeria, repeated presidential delegation reduced the opportunity for the President to personally engage other heads of government and investors at one of the world’s largest diplomatic gatherings.
“The United Nations General Assembly is one of the world’s most important diplomatic gatherings,” Atiku said, adding that it provides a platform for leaders to defend national interests and negotiate on trade, security and development.
Shettima to lead Nigerian delegation
According to the Presidency, Shettima will lead a delegation that includes Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal, ministers and other senior government officials.
The Vice President is scheduled to deliver Nigeria’s national statement during the General Debate and participate in high-level meetings on development, climate action and other issues of strategic importance to Nigeria and Africa.
The Presidency said Shettima would also hold bilateral meetings with foreign leaders, international organisations and development partners.
It said the engagements would focus, among other issues, on advancing Nigeria’s economic diplomacy, strengthening strategic partnerships and supporting discussions on reform of the global financial architecture, sustainable development and climate finance.
The delegation is expected to return to Nigeria after the Vice President’s engagements in New York.
Atiku links absence to diplomatic and economic concerns
Atiku said Nigeria’s participation at UNGA should be viewed not only as a diplomatic obligation but also as an opportunity to attract investment and development financing.
He argued that presidential participation could help facilitate direct discussions on investment, trade and financing.
“The cost is eventually transferred to ordinary citizens: fewer investments mean fewer businesses and fewer jobs,” he said.
However, the claim that the President’s absence necessarily results in lost investment or jobs is Atiku’s political argument, rather than an independently established economic outcome.
Atiku also questioned reports that Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Jimoh Ibrahim, had arranged for Tinubu to sit near U.S. President Donald Trump during the General Assembly.
“The seat was secured, but the President disappeared,” he said.
Atiku questions reported U.S. lobbying expenditure
The former vice president also questioned reports that the Tinubu administration had spent as much as $9 million on American lobbyists.
He asked why Nigeria would spend millions of dollars on lobbying in the United States while the President had repeatedly chosen not to attend the UN gathering in New York.
The figure and the purpose of any such expenditure should be distinguished from Atiku’s political criticism unless independently documented through government contracting or other verifiable records.
U.S. court case raised in political dispute
Atiku further linked his questions to Tinubu’s history involving a U.S. forfeiture proceeding.
He cited Case No. 93 C 4483 before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and referred to proceedings involving funds held in accounts in Tinubu’s name and those of associated companies.
Atiku said U.S. court documents alleged connections between the funds and narcotics trafficking and money laundering and that approximately $460,000 was ultimately forfeited to the U.S. government.
These are allegations and claims raised by Atiku about historical U.S. court proceedings and should not be interpreted as establishing that Tinubu was convicted of a criminal offence.
Importantly, Atiku himself said he was not claiming that Tinubu is legally barred from entering the United States.
“We are not asserting that Tinubu is legally prohibited from entering the United States. The Presidency has announced no such restriction,” he said.
He nevertheless asked the Presidency to clarify whether any legal, diplomatic, personal or other circumstance had influenced the President’s decision not to attend UNGA.
Presidency has not cited U.S. restriction
The Presidency’s announcement of Shettima’s delegation did not cite any U.S. entry restriction as the reason for Tinubu’s absence.
It instead confirmed that the Vice President had been mandated to represent the President at the 81st UNGA and outlined a schedule of diplomatic and economic engagements for the Nigerian delegation.
The State House has not, in the announcement, linked Tinubu’s decision to the historical U.S. forfeiture case cited by Atiku.
Atiku nevertheless questioned whether the President’s U.S. history had affected Nigeria’s diplomatic engagement with Washington.
“Has one man’s personal history become a burden on Nigeria’s diplomatic engagement?” he asked.
UNGA absence becomes political issue
The controversy places Tinubu’s participation in international diplomacy at the centre of an emerging political debate ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 presidential election.
Atiku argued that Nigeria should maintain a strong presence at major international forums and said the Presidency should explain why the President has delegated representation at UNGA for three consecutive years.
The Presidency, meanwhile, has positioned Shettima’s participation as an opportunity to advance Nigeria’s economic diplomacy and engage foreign governments, development partners and international institutions.
With the 81st UNGA opening this week, the focus will now shift to the substance of Nigeria’s delegation, including Shettima’s national address and the bilateral discussions expected to take place on the sidelines of the General Assembly.
The central political dispute, however, remains Atiku’s demand for an explanation for Tinubu’s continued absence and his allegation that the President’s historical U.S. controversies may have a bearing on Nigeria’s int
