Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has questioned the absence of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu from the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, contrasting it with Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama’s participation in the global gathering.
Obi raised the question in a post on his Facebook page while commenting on Mahama’s address to the UN General Assembly on Thursday, September 24, 2026.
Mahama attended the UNGA and delivered Ghana’s national statement, where he addressed issues including global governance, Africa’s representation in international institutions and Ghana’s economic recovery.
Obi described the Ghanaian president’s address as “remarkable,” saying it demonstrated what leadership could achieve when competence, capacity, compassion, commitment and character were brought together in the service of a nation.
He subsequently asked why the president of Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, was not personally present at the gathering.
“Where is 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?” Obi asked.
The former Anambra State governor said Nigeria’s president ought to be representing the country and providing leadership for Africa at the international level, particularly at a time he said the country was facing significant domestic and international challenges.
Although Vice President Kashim Shettima is representing Nigeria at the 81st UNGA and leading the country’s delegation, Obi said his presence did not answer the question of the president’s absence.
“Although our Vice President, Kashim Shettima, was present, the question remains: Where is the President?” he wrote.
The Federal Government has said President Tinubu mandated Shettima to represent him at the UNGA and lead Nigeria’s delegation, with the Vice President authorised to deliver Nigeria’s national statement and participate in high-level meetings and bilateral engagements.
Shettima’s participation included meetings and engagements focused on Nigeria’s priorities and strengthening the country’s role in multilateral cooperation.
Obi, however, urged Nigerians to continue praying for the President’s return and for his leadership in addressing the challenges confronting the country.
