Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party in 2023 and leader of the Nigerian Democratic Congress, has voiced public concern about President Bola Tinubu’s absence from the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Obi raised the matter on Sunday in a post on his X account, a statement issued through the Peter Obi Media Office and attributed to spokesman Idris Zekeri. The former Anambra State governor said he had watched Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama’s address and posed the question, “Where is Nigeria’s President?”
Obi wrote in the post that he was concerned that “the President of Africa’s most populous nation, a country of more than 200 million people, more than Ghana, whose leader has been absent from the global stage for three consecutive UNGAs?” He said the situation called for prayers for the President’s return and effective leadership, and wrote, “Let us continue to pray for his return and for his leadership in addressing the many challenges confronting the nation, but let us hope that a New Nigeria is possible and will be O-K.”
On September 21, the Presidency announced that President Tinubu had extended his working vacation in Europe by a few days and was expected to return to Nigeria at the weekend. The State House said Tinubu left Nigeria on August 30 for London to start the working vacation, then went on to Paris, where he met French President Emmanuel Macron and businessman Vincent Bollore. The Presidency also said Tinubu stayed in contact with officials at home and continued to direct the affairs of the country while away.
Vice President Kashim Shettima was mandated to represent President Tinubu and to lead Nigeria’s delegation to the 81st UNGA. On Thursday, Shettima delivered Nigeria’s national statement at the General Debate on behalf of the President.
Obi contrasted Nigeria’s absence at the podium with President Mahama’s speech, drawing attention to what he described as the importance of presidential representation at major international engagements for a country of Nigeria’s size and influence.
This report is based on a statement and social media post circulated by the Peter Obi Media Office and a statement attributed to the Presidency regarding the President’s travel and representation at the UNGA.
Source: Vanguard.
Featured image: Unya567 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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