Tinubu’s UNGA Absence: Atiku Questions U-Turn as Shettima Leads Nigeria
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has questioned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s decision to stay away from the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, drawing attention to what he described as the President’s third consecutive absence from the annual gathering of world leaders.
The development has attracted additional attention because Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim, had indicated in July that Tinubu would personally attend the 2026 General Assembly.
Ibrahim had said after meeting the President at the State House that Tinubu had agreed to participate in the gathering and was expected to engage in high-level discussions covering energy, education, healthcare and regional security.
However, the Presidency announced on Sunday that Vice President Kashim Shettima would instead represent Tinubu and lead Nigeria’s delegation to the 81st UNGA.
Shettima’s delegation includes Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal, ministers and other senior government officials.
Reacting to the development, Atiku, through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, demanded an explanation for the President’s absence and questioned why Tinubu had not personally attended the General Assembly since his appearance at the 78th session in 2023.
Tinubu attended the UNGA in person in September 2023. Shettima subsequently represented Nigeria at the 79th session in 2024 and the 80th session in 2025.
Atiku argued that the latest decision had turned the President’s absence into a pattern that deserved public explanation.
The former vice president also sought to link Tinubu’s non-attendance to longstanding controversies surrounding his past in the United States. The claim remains Atiku’s political allegation, and no evidence was presented in the statement establishing that those issues influenced the President’s decision not to travel to New York.
Nigeria’s diplomatic representatives have, meanwhile, maintained that the country remains adequately represented at the global gathering and that representation by vice presidents, foreign ministers and other senior officials is not unusual at the United Nations.
Shettima is expected to deliver Nigeria’s national statement during the General Debate and articulate the country’s positions on development, peace and security, economic growth and international cooperation.
The Vice President’s participation also continues his prominent role in representing the Tinubu administration at major international engagements.
The controversy is nevertheless likely to generate further political debate because of the earlier indication that Tinubu would personally participate in UNGA 81.
With the 2027 presidential election approaching, exchanges between Tinubu’s camp and Atiku have intensified in recent weeks, covering economic policy, governance and controversies surrounding the political records of both men.
