Tinubu gives Shettima assignment
President Bola Tinubu is set to hand over duties at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly to Vice President Kashim Shettima as he may no longer attend the annual global meeting in New York.
According to The Whistler, Tinubu had been scheduled to travel to the United States from September 22 to 28, 2026, and address world leaders during the high-level segment of the UNGA on September 23.
However, the planned trip may have been cancelled following security concerns over a proposed protest by some Nigerians in the United States.
A security source familiar with the development said intelligence reports indicated that protesters were planning to gather in New York to demonstrate against the Nigerian president during his expected visit.
The planned protest is reportedly connected to an ongoing legal and political dispute in the United States over efforts to obtain government records relating to Tinubu’s activities in Chicago in the early 1990s.
The development comes amid a legal battle involving Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., a Washington-based lobbying firm reportedly engaged by former Vice President and 2027 presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Atiku Abubakar.
The firm has been seeking the release of records allegedly held by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the US Department of Justice and the Drug Enforcement Administration concerning Tinubu’s time in the United States.
The controversy became more intense after the lobbying firm accused people linked to the Nigerian president of allegedly offering $3 million to one of its senior officials over the records.
The Presidency has not publicly responded to the allegation.
The firm also claimed that documents and communications relating to the alleged bribery attempt had been preserved and shared with Trump, senior US officials and members of Congress.
Further attention was drawn to the matter after US President Donald Trump appointed the lobbying firm’s managing partner, Dr Karl Von Batten, as a commissioner on a White House presidential commission.
If Tinubu eventually stays away from the UNGA, Shettima is expected to lead Nigeria’s delegation and represent the country at the high-level meeting.
The United Nations General Assembly brings together leaders and senior officials from countries across the world each year to discuss international affairs, security, development and other issues affecting member states.
The Presidency, however, has yet to make an official announcement confirming that Tinubu has cancelled his trip or that Shettima will represent Nigeria at the 81st UN General Assembly.
