UNGA: Tinubu afraid of becoming Trump’s next Nicolas Maduro – Atiku

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has questioned whether President Bola Tinubu’s third consecutive absence from the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) is linked to concerns about his past legal history in the United States.

Atiku, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, raised the question in a statement issued on Sunday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, following confirmation that Tinubu would not attend the 81st UNGA in New York.

In the statement, Atiku asked whether Tinubu feared facing a fate similar to that of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who was captured by US forces in January 2026 and is facing drug-trafficking charges in the United States. Maduro’s capture and the charges against him have been reported by international media and documented in US legal proceedings.

“Is Tinubu afraid that he could become Donald Trump’s next Nicolás Maduro?” Atiku asked.

He also questioned whether the President was troubled by controversies surrounding his academic claims in the US and the forfeiture proceedings involving funds held in accounts linked to him.

Atiku cited Case No. 93 C 4483 before the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, in which the US government instituted forfeiture proceedings concerning funds held in multiple accounts in Tinubu’s name and those of associated companies.

According to Atiku, the verified complaint was brought under federal laws governing the forfeiture of assets allegedly connected to narcotics trafficking and money laundering.

He said the complaint alleged that the funds were proceeds of narcotics trafficking and money laundering, while a supporting affidavit by an Internal Revenue Service criminal-investigation agent reportedly linked funds in accounts controlled by Tinubu to drug-trafficking proceeds.

Atiku further stated that the proceedings resulted in the forfeiture of approximately $460,000 to the US government.

He questioned whether the case had any connection to Tinubu’s repeated absence from the UN General Assembly.

“Nigerians are therefore entitled to ask whether Tinubu’s three consecutive UNGA absences have anything to do with this documented American history,” he said.

Atiku, however, clarified that he was not claiming Tinubu was legally barred from entering the United States, noting that the Presidency had not announced any such restriction.

“We are not asserting that Tinubu is legally prohibited from entering the United States. The Presidency has announced no such restriction,” he said.

He nevertheless asked why the President had missed the UNGA sessions since 2024 if there were no legal, diplomatic, medical or personal impediments.

Atiku also questioned whether the President was uncomfortable appearing on American soil amid continuing public interest in the forfeiture proceedings.

The Presidency recently announced that Tinubu had mandated Vice President Kashim Shettima to lead Nigeria’s delegation to the 81st UNGA, scheduled to hold in New York from September 22 to 28, 2026.

Tinubu’s absence marks the third consecutive year he will not personally attend the gathering, having also missed the 2024 and 2025 sessions, when Shettima represented Nigeria.

Atiku has repeatedly criticised the President over his UNGA absences, arguing that the country’s representation by the Vice President does not fully replace the President’s personal visibility and authority at a major international diplomatic gathering.

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