By Kazeem Waris
The Presidency has responded to questions raised by the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in the 2027 election, Peter Obi, over President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s absence from the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, insisting that the President is “hale and hearty” and continues to discharge his responsibilities while on vacation.
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, gave the clarification in a post on his verified X account, saying Tinubu was on a working vacation and remained actively engaged in matters concerning the country.
“Nigeria’s President is hale and hearty. He has been on a working vacation, which he is perfectly entitled to,” Onanuga said.
The presidential aide argued that Tinubu’s physical absence from Abuja did not mean he was disconnected from the affairs of government, noting that modern technology allows the President to perform his duties from outside the country.
“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,” he said.
According to Onanuga, the President had remained engaged with investors and other stakeholders during his stay abroad.
“And we have seen that he has indeed been working, meeting investors in France, most recently facilitating a $7 billion deep-sea port in Ogun Waterside, an initiative of the Ogun State Government,” he said.
Onanuga also sought to put Tinubu’s absence from the UNGA in context, noting that other African leaders, including South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, were also not present at the gathering in New York.
“Two other important African leaders were not in New York for the UNGA: South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa and Egypt’s Abdel Fattah el-Sisi,” he said.
He noted that Ramaphosa had opted out of public engagements, while Egypt had not witnessed the kind of controversy surrounding President Tinubu’s absence.
“Johannesburg and Pretoria made no uproar over Ramaphosa’s absence at UNGA,” Onanuga said.
“And Egypt did not erupt that Sisi did not go to New York.”
The presidential aide said Tinubu had announced his annual vacation and had made arrangements for Nigeria to be represented at the UNGA.
“The Nigerian President announced he was taking his annual vacation and delegated attendance to his able and dependable Vice President,” he said.
Vice-President Kashim Shettima represented Nigeria at the UNGA in New York.
Onanuga also criticised Obi for questioning Tinubu’s whereabouts, suggesting that the former Anambra State governor was aware of the President’s vacation arrangements.
“Yet Peter Obi pretends to be unaware of President Tinubu’s whereabouts and asks the puerile question his followers are asking on X,” he said.
The response comes amid growing political exchanges ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with opposition figures scrutinising the President’s activities and public engagements.
The Presidency, however, maintained that Tinubu’s absence from Nigeria should not be interpreted as an absence from governance.
Onanuga said the President was expected to return to Nigeria during the week to participate in activities marking the country’s 66th Independence Anniversary.
A “President Tinubu will return home this week to mark Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary and honour MKO Abiola, the martyr of the democracy we enjoy today, by attending the premiere of a movie in MKO’s memory in Lagos,” he said.
