Human rights activist and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has alleged that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is receiving medical treatment in France rather than being on vacation as officially stated by the Presidency.
Sowore made the allegation on Sunday in a post on X while reacting to Tinubu’s decision not to personally attend the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The Presidency announced on Sunday that Vice President Kashim Shettima would represent Tinubu and lead Nigeria’s delegation to the annual gathering of world leaders.
Sowore questioned the circumstances surrounding the President’s absence, linking it to what he described as concerns over Tinubu’s past legal history in the United States. He alleged that the President was avoiding the UNGA because of a fear that US authorities could order his arrest over what he referred to as a past drug-related case.
“There is something inherently wrong with Nigeria,” Sowore wrote.
He alleged that Tinubu’s public appearances in Paris during the current trip were part of an attempt to maintain the impression that the President was simply undertaking an ordinary vacation.
Sowore further claimed that Tinubu was not actually on holiday but was receiving medical treatment in France and would eventually return to Nigeria with the trip presented as a routine vacation.
“Tinubu is not on vacation; he is receiving treatment in France,” Sowore alleged, adding that the situation reminded him of what he described as the secrecy surrounding the health of former Presidents Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Muhammadu Buhari.
The claims have not been independently established in the material available, and the Presidency has officially described Tinubu’s European trip as a three-week annual leave and working vacation.
The State House announced on August 30 that Tinubu had departed Abuja for Europe to begin a three-week vacation as part of his annual leave, with London listed as his first destination.
During the trip, however, the President also undertook engagements in Paris.
On September 18, the State House reported that Tinubu had been received by French President Emmanuel Macron for a private dinner at the Élysée Palace. The Presidency said the meeting reflected the longstanding relationship between Nigeria and France and discussions on strengthening bilateral cooperation.
The State House also reported that Tinubu met Vincent Bolloré of the Bolloré Group in Paris as part of what it described as his working vacation. According to the Presidency, discussions focused on expanded investment in Nigeria’s creative and digital economy, including film, entertainment, fibre-optic infrastructure and related sectors.
The engagements have provided the Presidency with an official account of the President’s activities in France, while Sowore has offered a different interpretation of his absence from the United States.
The controversy intensified following the confirmation that Tinubu would not attend the 81st UNGA in person.
The Presidency said Shettima would lead a high-level Nigerian delegation to New York and represent the President at the General Assembly.
The Vice President is expected to deliver Nigeria’s national statement and participate in high-level meetings and bilateral engagements during the UNGA week.
Sowore questioned why Tinubu would remain in Europe and not travel to New York for an international gathering at which Nigeria is expected to present its position on major global issues.
He described the situation as evidence of what he called a broader culture of secrecy in the management of presidential affairs.
According to Sowore, Nigerians have previously witnessed situations in which the health conditions of presidents became subjects of public controversy because of limited official information.
“We have seen this script before with Yar’Adua and Buhari: secrecy, deception, carefully managed appearances and a country expected to look away,” he said.
Sowore also accused supporters of the Tinubu administration of ignoring what he considered significant questions surrounding the President’s absence.
“Every sycophant is playing along, and society has acquiesced completely,” he alleged.
His comments come against the background of Tinubu’s previous foreign trips, some of which have generated public debate over whether they were primarily for official engagements, rest or medical purposes.
Sowore referred to reports concerning previous trips by Tinubu to France, the United Kingdom and the United States, alleging that some of those journeys were connected to medical care.
However, the current official account from the Presidency does not state that Tinubu is receiving medical treatment in France. Instead, the State House has repeatedly described the present European trip as an annual leave and working vacation.
The President’s Paris engagements have also been publicly documented by the State House, including his meeting with Macron and discussions with Bolloré.
Sowore’s second major allegation concerns Tinubu’s absence from the United States and the possibility of arrest.
He claimed that the President’s decision not to attend the UNGA was connected to a fear that the US government could arrest him because of his past drug-related legal controversy.
That allegation remains a claim by Sowore and has not been established by the information cited in his statement.
There is also no indication in the Presidency’s announcement that Tinubu was prevented from travelling to the United States by US authorities. Instead, the government announced that Shettima would represent him at the UNGA.
The controversy has nevertheless revived public discussion about Tinubu’s previous legal history in the United States and the extent to which historical cases involving him should be considered when assessing his international engagements.
Sowore argued that Nigerians deserved greater transparency concerning the President’s whereabouts, activities and reasons for not personally attending the UNGA.
The 81st UN General Assembly is an important diplomatic gathering at which member states discuss international peace and security, development, economic cooperation, climate change and other global issues.
Nigeria will still be represented at the session through Shettima and a high-level delegation, meaning the country will participate in the General Assembly despite Tinubu’s absence.
The Vice President’s participation is expected to include the delivery of Nigeria’s national statement as well as meetings with foreign leaders, international organisations and development partners.
While Sowore has interpreted Tinubu’s absence as evidence of concerns surrounding the President’s health and US legal history, the Presidency has publicly presented the situation differently.
The State House’s official position remains that Tinubu is on annual leave and a working vacation in Europe. Its recent releases document presidential engagements in Paris, including diplomatic and investment-related meetings.
The competing accounts have therefore generated renewed debate about transparency, presidential travel and the disclosure of information concerning the activities of Nigeria’s highest elected official.
Sowore concluded his statement by calling on Nigerians to challenge what he described as a political culture built around secrecy and managed public appearances.
For now, however, his assertion that Tinubu is receiving medical treatment in France remains an allegation rather than an independently established fact. Similarly, his claim that the President’s absence from the UNGA is motivated by fear of arrest in the United States has not been substantiated by the official statements reviewed.
The Presidency’s documented position is that Tinubu travelled to Europe for annual leave and a working vacation, during which he undertook diplomatic and investment-related engagements in France.
The President’s decision to have Shettima lead Nigeria’s delegation to the 81st UNGA has nevertheless ensured that the country will be represented at the high-level diplomatic gathering, even as questions surrounding Tinubu’s absence continue to generate political debate.
