Spokesperson for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign, Kenneth Okonkwo, has alleged that President Bola Tinubu stayed away from the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) because of concerns over possible arrest in the United States.
Okonkwo made the claim during an interview on Arise News on Wednesday while criticising the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, over comments concerning the President’s absence from the UNGA.
According to Okonkwo, Tinubu’s failure to attend the General Assembly in person since assuming office has raised questions about the reason for his absence.
“Onanuga is there saying what he does not know, and the President is somewhere hiding. Maybe because he does not want the Venezuela option, because he ought to be at the UNGA in person,” Okonkwo said.
He claimed that Tinubu had not attended the UN General Assembly for three consecutive years, arguing that the situation could lead people to conclude that the President was avoiding the United States.
Okonkwo also referred to comments previously attributed to Nigeria’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Jimoh Ibrahim, that Tinubu would attend the General Assembly and meet US President Donald Trump.
He said the President’s eventual absence contradicted the earlier expectation.
“The ambassador to the United Nations, Jimoh Ibrahim, had told us gleefully that the President was going to come and sit in the front row with President Trump to represent us. What happened? Lies. The President did not go,” he said.
Okonkwo further linked Tinubu’s absence to recent discussions surrounding US records relating to allegations of drug trafficking involving the Nigerian President.
He referenced Trump’s comments about drug trafficking and the case involving Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro before alleging that there was a connection between those developments and Tinubu’s decision not to attend the UNGA.
The ADC campaign spokesperson also referred to legal proceedings in the United States concerning the release of records relating to Tinubu.
He alleged that the President had filed a case seeking to prevent the release of some records and linked the matter to the long-running controversy over a $460,000 forfeiture involving Tinubu in the United States.
Okonkwo said the money had been paid as part of a plea bargain, describing the development as evidence of a connection between Tinubu and allegations of narcotics trafficking.
However, the $460,000 matter has previously been described in US records and reports as a civil forfeiture proceeding, rather than a criminal conviction for drug trafficking.
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Okonkwo maintained that the issues were connected and argued that Tinubu’s absence from the UNGA raised questions about whether he was avoiding the United States.
Tinubu absent from 2026 UNGA
President Tinubu did not personally attend the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, with Vice President Kashim Shettima representing Nigeria at the event.
The Presidency has maintained that Tinubu’s absence was not connected to concerns over travelling to the United States, saying the President had delegated Shettima to represent Nigeria at the gathering.