Atiku Questions Tinubu's 3rd Consecutive UNGA Absence, Cites US Drug Forfeiture Case
- Atiku Abubakar demanded answers from President Tinubu after he skipped the UN General Assembly for the third year in a row, sending Vice President Shettima in his place
- Atiku raised questions about a 1993 US court case in which funds linked to Tinubu were forfeited over alleged connections to narcotics traff1cking and money laundering
- The statement pointed to a reported $9 million paid to American lobbyists and a reserved seat near Donald Trump that Tinubu did not occupy at the 2026 UNGA
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Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over eight years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues
FCT, Abuja - The ADC presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has called on President Bola Tinubu to publicly explain why he skipped the United Nations General Assembly for the third year in a row.
Legit.ng reports that President Tinubu mandated VP Kashim Shettima to represent Nigeria at the 81st UNGA session in New York, USA.
Source: Twitter
Atiku questioned whether his documented legal history in the United States was the real reason behind the repeated absences.
The Former Vice President said Tinubu sat out the 79th UNGA session in 2024, the 80th in 2025, and now the 81st in 2026, each time delegating Vice President Kashim Shettima to attend in his place.
Atiku's Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, made this known in a statement released and made available to Legit.ng on Sunday, September 20, 2026, by his
Atiku described the pattern as one that could no longer be brushed aside as normal diplomatic delegation.
He said the absence carried real economic consequences for ordinary Nigerians, arguing that UNGA was where leaders secured investments, negotiated trade deals and built the relationships that shaped their countries' fortunes.
"When a President makes himself absent from that stage for three consecutive years, his country loses opportunities. Investment does not follow silence," Atiku said.
Reported seat near Trump left empty
The statement highlighted what Atiku called a particular embarrassment: Nigeria's Permanent Representative to the UN, Jimoh Ibrahim, had reportedly announced that he secured a seat for Tinubu close to US President Donald Trump at this year's session. Despite that, Tinubu did not attend.
Atiku linked the absences to a 1993 legal proceeding in the United States. He cited Case No. 93 C 4483 before the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, in which the US government sought forfeiture of funds held in accounts under the name of Bola Tinubu and associated companies.
He said the action was brought under federal laws on narcotics traff1cking and money laundering, and that a sworn affidavit from an Internal Revenue Service criminal-investigation agent connected the funds to drug-traffick1ng proceeds.
The case resulted in the forfeiture of roughly $460,000 to the US government.
"We are not asserting that Tinubu is legally prohibited from entering the United States. The Presidency has announced no such restriction. But if no legal, diplomatic, medical or personal impediment exists, why has Tinubu repeatedly avoided the UNGA since 2024?" Atiku asked.
Questions over $9 million lobbying spend
Atiku also pointed to reports that Tinubu's administration spent up to $9 million of Nigeria's foreign exchange hiring American lobbyists to improve Nigeria's standing with the US government and public.
"What exactly did Nigerians purchase with that money? Why spend millions of dollars lobbying Washington while Tinubu repeatedly stays away from New York?" Atiku asked.
He demanded that the Presidency state clearly whether Tinubu faced any impediment to travelling to the United States, and disclose the true reason behind three years of UNGA absences.
"Nigeria is bigger than Bola. Our diplomatic influence, economic interests and international reputation must not be subordinated to Tinubu's American baggage," Atiku said.
Source: Twitter
Atiku accused Tinubu of politicising ICC tribunal ruling
Meanwhile, Legit.ng also reported that Atiku accused the APC Campaign Council of misrepresenting the outcome of the Mambilla arbitration ruling
Shaibu issued a press statement on September 18, 2026, demanding APC cite exact tribunal paragraphs.
Atiku also drew a contrast between the Mambilla claims and the 1993 US court forfeiture decree against President Tinubu.
Source: Legit.ng
