Bayo Onanuga says President will return this week for Independence @66, faults Peter Obi over whereabouts question
The Presidency has dismissed concerns over the whereabouts of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, insisting that the President is hale and hearty and has been on a working vacation in France.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, made this known in a statement on Sunday in reaction to questions raised over President Tinubu’s prolonged absence from the country.
Onanuga said President Tinubu is perfectly entitled to his annual vacation and does not need to be physically present in Abuja to carry out the duties for which he was elected in 2023, noting that governance continues effectively in the digital age.
“President Tinubu is hale and hearty. Nigeria’s President is hale and hearty. He has been on a working vacation, which he is perfectly entitled to. 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,” Onanuga stated.
According to the presidential spokesman, President Tinubu has been active while on vacation, engaging investors in France and facilitating major investment projects for the country.
“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 defended the President’s decision not to attend the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, explaining that President Tinubu delegated the Vice President to represent Nigeria. He noted that Nigeria is not an exception, as other prominent African leaders were also absent from the global gathering.
“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. Ramaphosa booked himself off public engagements. Johannesburg and Pretoria made no uproar over Ramaphosa’s absence at UNGA. And Egypt did not erupt that Sisi did not go to New York. The Nigerian President announced he was taking his annual vacation and delegated attendance to his able and dependable Vice President,” Onanuga stated.
The statement also took a swipe at former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, over his comments questioning the President’s whereabouts.
“Yet Peter Obi pretends to be unaware of President Tinubu’s whereabouts and asks the puerile question his followers are asking on X,” Onanuga said.
He assured Nigerians that President Tinubu will return to the country this week to participate in activities marking Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary and to honour the late Chief MKO Abiola.
“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,” the presidential aide disclosed.
President Tinubu had earlier embarked on a three-week vacation, initially scheduled to end on September 21, 2026. His continued stay abroad beyond the announced date had generated public debate, with the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and other opposition figures demanding transparency on his whereabouts and who is constitutionally in charge of the country.
The Presidency’s latest clarification is expected to put to rest speculations surrounding the President’s health and location, as Nigerians await his return for the Independence Day celebrations on October 1st.
