President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has pulled out of attending the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, instructing Vice President Kashim Shettima to lead the Nigerian delegation in his place.
The announcement was confirmed on Sunday in a press statement issued by Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Communications (Office of the Vice President). Shettima will lead a high-level contingent that includes Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal, federal ministers, and top government functionaries to the international summit.
The sudden delegation of presidential duties comes despite months of official preparations and prior assurances by Nigeria’s diplomatic envoys that President Tinubu would personally address world leaders during the high-level debate scheduled for September 22 to 28, 2026.
Critics and opposition figures have seized on the President’s decision to skip the gathering, characterizing the move as an attempt to avoid potential embarrassment on international soil. Opposition voices allege that the Nigerian leader stayed away to evade planned protests by diaspora groups in New York and dodge escalating international scrutiny regarding lingering legal challenges and records requests in the United States.
While presidency officials framed the decision as a routine delegation of duties to advance the administration’s economic diplomacy and climate action agenda, critics insist the last-minute withdrawal reflects a calculated move to side-step public confrontation abroad. Vice President Shettima is expected to deliver Nigeria’s national statement and participate in high-level bilateral meetings before returning to Abuja.
