Tinubu’s UNGA Absence Sparks Questions Over ‘Venezuela Option’ – Okonkwo
African Democratic Congress presidential campaign spokesperson Kenneth Okonkwo has alleged that President Bola Tinubu’s decision not to attend the United Nations General Assembly personally could be connected to concerns over his legal history in the United States.
Okonkwo made the allegation during an interview with Arise News while discussing Tinubu’s absence from the 81st UNGA in New York.
Vice President Kashim Shettima is representing Nigeria at this year’s General Assembly. Tinubu’s absence follows two previous years in which he was represented by Shettima after attending the 2023 session personally.
Okonkwo said Tinubu’s repeated absence raised questions and suggested that the President might be concerned about travelling to the United States.
He also criticized presidential adviser Bayo Onanuga, arguing that attention should instead be focused on explaining why the President was not attending the international gathering.
The ADC campaign spokesperson invoked what he called the “Venezuela option,” suggesting that Tinubu might be trying to avoid a possible arrest.
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The claim comes against the background of renewed attention to old U.S. records involving the Nigerian President.
A 1993 U.S. court proceeding involved the forfeiture of $460,000 from an account associated with Tinubu. More recently, a legal dispute has emerged over attempts to obtain U.S. government records concerning historical investigations involving him.
Tinubu has challenged the release of some of the requested records, while U.S. agencies have raised legal and national-security arguments concerning access to certain documents.
However, Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Jimoh Ibrahim, has rejected suggestions that Tinubu faces restrictions that would prevent him from travelling to the United States.
Ibrahim said Tinubu and his family enjoy unimpeded transit in the United States and that the Nigerian mission had received no notification of restrictions on the President’s movement during the UNGA.
The reason for Tinubu’s absence has consequently become a subject of political debate, with opposition figures raising questions while government representatives have disputed suggestions of U.S. restrictions.
Okonkwo’s assertion that Tinubu is avoiding UNGA because he fears arrest remains an allegation rather than an established fact.
As the 81st General Assembly continues in New York, Shettima is representing Nigeria at the gathering, where world leaders and senior government officials are discussing major international issues.
