Opposition Slams Bola Tinubu Over Extended European Vacation

Opposition parties and legal experts have condemned Bola Ahmed Tinubu for an extended working vacation in Europe and his absence from the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. Tinubu departed Abuja on August 30 for London and Paris, where he met with French President Emmanuel Macron and businessman Vincent Bolloré. The Presidency announced on September 21 that his stay was extended, asserting that he continues to direct government affairs remotely.

Critics, including the Peoples Democratic Party and the African Democratic Congress, described the absence as an abdication of responsibility while Nigeria faces economic hardship and insecurity. Legal expert Chidi Odinkalu argued that the simultaneous absence of both the president and Vice President Kashim Shettima—who represented Nigeria at the UNGA—violates constitutional conventions and renders Nigeria an ungoverned territory. Some opponents, including the OK Movement and spokesperson Kenneth Okonkwo, alleged that Tinubu is avoiding the United States due to fear of arrest by the FBI over a 1993 civil forfeiture case.

The Presidency rejected these claims, with spokesman Bayo Onanuga clarifying that the U.S. legal matter is a civil records-disclosure dispute under the Freedom of Information Act, not a criminal case. While Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule defended the absence by noting that many world leaders skipped the assembly, others called for impeachment proceedings, alleging a failure to formally transmit power to the Vice President as required by the constitution.