Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is asking President Bola Tinubu to explain his absence from the United Nations General Assembly for the third consecutive year.

Tinubu has sent Vice President Kashim Shettima to represent Nigeria at the 81st UN General Assembly in New York, after also being absent in 2024 and 2025.

Atiku questioned whether Tinubu’s past legal controversies in the United States had influenced his decision not to attend.

However, Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Jimoh Ibrahim, says there is no cause for concern, noting that more than 60 per cent of countries listed to speak at the session are represented by vice presidents or foreign ministers.

Ibrahim said Tinubu is currently in France on annual leave, while Shettima and the Foreign Affairs Minister are adequately positioned to represent Nigeria.

The UN General Assembly’s high-level General Debate begins in New York as world leaders and senior officials gather to discuss global diplomatic, economic and security issues.