ABUJA — Political tension in Nigeria has heightened following President Bola Tinubu’s decision to extend his European vacation rather than attend the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York. Vice President Kashim Shettima has once again been dispatched to lead the national delegation, marking the third straight year the President has missed the global summit. The decision drew immediate pushback from former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who publicly questioned why the President would pass up a high-level diplomatic forum and a reported seating arrangement near US President Donald Trump.
Atiku raised further questions over whether a 1990s US civil forfeiture case involving funds associated with Tinubu had any bearing on his decision to avoid American territory, while noting he was not alleging an explicit legal travel ban. The Presidency swiftly rejected the claims, labeling any attempt to link the trip to historical US legal proceedings as baseless speculation. Administration officials insisted the President remains actively managing state affairs from Europe, pointing to recent bilateral meetings in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron as proof of ongoing executive governance.
