Atiku Camp Fires Tinubu Over Reported Decision to Skip UNGA

The reported decision by President Bola Tinubu not to attend the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York has raised questions from the camp of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

Paul Ibe, Atiku’s media adviser, raised the questions in a statement posted on X, following reports that Tinubu would not travel to New York for the high-level UNGA meetings scheduled to begin next week.

According to a report published on Friday, a source close to the Presidency said Tinubu would not attend the annual gathering of world leaders.

“Tinubu will not be attending the UN General Assembly,” the source was quoted as saying, without giving a reason for the reported decision.

The development came after several indications that Tinubu was expected to attend the meeting and deliver Nigeria’s national statement.

A provisional programme had earlier listed the Nigerian President among the speakers for the high-level General Debate, while Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim, had also publicly said Tinubu would be present.

“The president was able to give us his word. Now, he will come to UNGA this September,” Ibrahim had said.

The United Nations has scheduled the high-level General Debate from September 22 to 28, with the organisation listing the gathering as part of the 81st session of the General Assembly.

Earlier reports indicated that Tinubu was scheduled to speak on September 23, although the provisional speaking order has subsequently been updated.

If Tinubu does not attend, Vice President Kashim Shettima could represent Nigeria at the gathering. Shettima previously represented the President at the 79th and 80th sessions of the General Assembly in 2024 and 2025.

Ibe, however, argued that the reported change in Tinubu’s plans should not be viewed simply as a routine adjustment to the President’s travel schedule.

“For months, the Tinubu administration has spent enormous political and financial capital trying to repair its standing in Washington,” Ibe wrote.

He referred to a reported $9 million lobbying arrangement involving the Federal Government and argued that the administration had invested considerable resources in improving Nigeria’s image and strengthening relations with the United States.

Ibe also pointed to the activities of senior Nigerian officials, including National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, who has been involved in engagements with American officials, as part of the administration’s broader diplomatic efforts.

He further questioned the status of a proposed Nigeria-US mining agreement that had been presented as an issue that could receive attention around the UN General Assembly.

“Then came the retreat,” Ibe wrote, referring to the reported decision by Tinubu not to attend the meeting.

Another issue raised by the Atiku camp was an ongoing Freedom of Information Act case in the United States involving requests for US law-enforcement records concerning Tinubu. The controversy has generated competing claims in recent weeks.

The Nigerian Presidency has previously rejected descriptions of the matter as a criminal case against Tinubu, saying the US litigation concerns access to government records rather than a criminal prosecution. Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga said the case was a civil dispute over access to documents.

Ibe nevertheless argued that the unresolved litigation had to be considered alongside the administration’s efforts to strengthen its relationship with Washington.

He referred to the United States’ intensified focus on international drug trafficking and transnational criminal organisations and questioned whether the controversy surrounding the US records could have any bearing on Tinubu’s diplomatic engagements in America.

The Atiku aide asked why the President would reportedly stay away from UNGA after the administration had invested heavily in diplomatic engagement and publicised possible agreements with the United States.

“After the millions spent on lobbying, the diplomatic ground-softening and the public boasting about deals supposedly ready for signature, why is President Tinubu reportedly staying away from UNGA?” he asked.

“What happened between the celebration and the cancellation?”

Ibe also questioned whether meetings that the Presidency had anticipated in New York and Washington had actually been secured and whether the proposed Nigeria-US mining arrangement was still progressing as previously announced.

He further asked whether the controversy over the US law-enforcement records had become an obstacle to the kind of high-level engagement the Tinubu administration had been seeking in Washington.

Ibe called on the Presidency to explain the reported change in plans.

“Instead of propaganda, Nigerians deserve disclosure. Instead of expensive image laundering, let the records speak,” he wrote.

He added that the Presidency should explain why, after the lobbying efforts and diplomatic engagements surrounding Nigeria’s relationship with the United States, Tinubu was reportedly no longer travelling to New York for the UN gathering.

The President’s reported absence also follows earlier claims surrounding his possible engagements in the United States. A US-based policy advisory and lobbying firm had previously made claims about Tinubu’s proposed UNGA appearance and possible meetings in America. The firm had said the Nigerian leader will be disgraced if he attempts to travel to US.

The firm was reportedly contracted by Atiku in March under a 12-month agreement valued at $1.2 million for advocacy and diplomatic outreach.