President Bola Tinubu’s decision to skip the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York for the third consecutive year has triggered renewed debate over his absence and his past legal dealings in the United States.
Vice President Kashim Shettima is representing Nigeria at the 2026 UNGA after Tinubu directed him to lead the country’s delegation. Tinubu also stayed away from the 79th UNGA in 2024 and the 80th session in 2025, with Shettima representing him on both occasions. (Channels Television)
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has questioned the repeated absence, arguing that although the Vice President can represent the country, continued delegation does not provide the same level of direct presidential engagement at a major international diplomatic gathering.
Atiku also questioned whether Tinubu’s past legal history in the United States could have influenced the decision, although he acknowledged that there is no publicly announced legal restriction preventing the President from travelling to the US. (Premium Times Nigeria)
“We are not asserting that Tinubu is legally prohibited from entering the United States. The Presidency has announced no such restriction,” Atiku said.
He referred to a 1993 civil forfeiture case in the United States involving funds connected to accounts controlled by Tinubu. According to Atiku, the proceedings resulted in approximately $460,000 being forfeited to the US government. (The Guardian Nigeria)
Atiku further raised questions about the President’s absence despite efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s engagement with American institutions and policymakers.
“Why hire lobbyists to speak for Nigeria in America when the Nigerian President cannot summon the courage to appear at the world’s biggest diplomatic gathering on American soil?” he asked.
He also referred to an earlier statement by Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim, that a seat had been secured for Tinubu “not too far from where the U.S. President Donald Trump will be seated.”
“The seat was secured, but the President disappeared,” Atiku said.
“If proximity to President Trump was considered such a diplomatic achievement, why did Tinubu abandon the opportunity and send his deputy?”
The Presidency has rejected suggestions that Tinubu’s absence is connected to restrictions on his ability to enter the United States.
Ademola Osodi, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Protocol, said there was no impediment preventing Tinubu from travelling to the country. He said the President’s decision was instead linked to domestic priorities, including the economy and security, as well as other international engagements. (allAfrica.com)
“There’s absolutely no impediment,” Osodi said when asked about suggestions that Tinubu could be restricted from travelling to the United States.
He also recalled accompanying Tinubu during the President’s attendance at the 2023 UN General Assembly and on another trip involving transit through Los Angeles.
“We were in America, I was there with them. So it is politics. We can talk about this every single election cycle, it is just politics,” Osodi said. (allAfrica.com)
Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN has similarly said the President’s absence should not be interpreted as a lack of Nigerian representation at the assembly. Ibrahim said Shettima and other senior officials would participate in the diplomatic engagements.
Earlier in September, Ibrahim also stated that Tinubu and his family had freedom of transit to attend UN activities in the United States and that the Nigerian Mission had received no notification from the US government indicating any restriction on the President’s movement. (The Guardian Nigeria)
The controversy comes amid renewed attention to Tinubu’s historical US legal records. In September, the Presidency described the matter involving the release of additional US law-enforcement records as a civil legal proceeding rather than a criminal case against the President. It said the litigation concerns requests for records held by US agencies and the agencies’ reliance on exemptions under the Freedom of Information Act. (The Guardian Nigeria)
The Presidency also said US agencies had released 399 pages of records, with portions redacted under applicable legal exemptions, while disputes over the withheld information remain part of the proceedings. (The Guardian Nigeria)
The 81st UN General Assembly is scheduled to hold its high-level general debate from September 22 to 28, 2026. Shettima is expected to deliver Nigeria’s national statement and participate in bilateral and high-level meetings during the session. (Premium Times Nigeria)
The Presidency maintains that Tinubu’s absence does not diminish Nigeria’s diplomatic role, while critics continue to question the decision and its implications for the country’s international engagement.
