Presidency Responds Firmly as Peter Obi Questions Tinubu's Whereabouts
- Peter Obi publicly questioned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's absence from the 81st UN General Assembly, noting it was the third consecutive UNGA the president missed
- Obi raised the alarm after watching Ghanaian President John Mahama address the global gathering, contrasting Nigeria's absence with Ghana's visibility
- Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga fired back, saying Tinubu was on a working vacation and cited two other African leaders who also skipped the UNGA
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Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over nine years of experience covering politics, elections, public affairs, and governance in Nigeria and Africa.
New York, USA - Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), raised fresh questions about President Bola Tinubu's continued absence from the country, pointing specifically to Nigeria's missing presence at the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, USA.
Legit.ng reports that Obi spoke out on Sunday, September 27, after watching a speech by Ghanaian President John Mahama at the global gathering.
Source: Facebook
In a statement, the former Anambra governor drew a sharp contrast between Mahama's visibility on the world stage and what he described as Nigeria's conspicuous absence.
"Where is the President of Africa's most populous nation, a country of more than 200 million people, more than Ghana, whose leader has been absent from the global stage for three consecutive UNGAs?" Obi asked.
He argued that Nigeria's president should be at the forefront of international engagements, especially given the domestic and global pressures currently facing the country.
"Nigeria's President, who ought to be representing and guiding the continent at the international level, has not attended any of these three global gatherings," Obi said.
While acknowledging that Vice-President Kashim Shettima was present in New York on behalf of the Federal Government, Obi said the delegation did not fully address his concern.
"Although our Vice President, Kashim Shettima, was present, the question remains: where is the President?" he said.
Read Obi's full tweet below:
Presidency responds to Peter Obi
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga pushed back firmly, writing on X that the president was in good health and was entitled to a working vacation.
Onanuga wrote:
"President Tinubu is hale and hearty. He has been on a working vacation, which he is perfectly entitled to. In this digital age, he does not need to be physically present in Abuja to do the work for which he was elected in 2023."
Onanuga pointed to Tinubu's recent engagements in France, including meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron and businessman Vincent Bolloré, and said Tinubu had facilitated a $7 billion deep-sea port project in Ogun Waterside during his time abroad.
The spokesman also noted that South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa and Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi both stayed away from the UNGA without triggering similar controversy in their home countries.
Onanuga added that Tinubu was expected back in Nigeria before the end of the week to mark the country's 66th Independence Anniversary and attend the premiere of a film honouring late democracy icon MKO Abiola in Lagos.
Read the presidency's full response to Obi below via X:
Tinubu's extended stay abroad
Tinubu departed Nigeria on August 30 for what the presidency initially described as a three-week working vacation in Europe, beginning in London before moving to Paris.
His return date has since been adjusted more than once, with the latest indication placing his arrival back in Nigeria on Tuesday, September 29.
Read more on Tinubu
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- 2027 general election: 3 reasons Tinubu may drop Shettima as his running mate
- Published autobiography shows Tinubu’s actual primary and secondary school, location mentioned
Chioma joins Davido on UNGA 2026 trip
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Chioma Adeleke is giving fans every reason to talk, and this time, it is her stylish appearance on a trip to the United Nations General Assembly that has set the internet buzzing.
A video shared on Instagram captured the moment Davido and his entourage, including his wife Chioma, made their way to a private jet ahead of UNGA 2026.
Source: Legit.ng
