By DAYO ADESULU
The 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 simply spending his annual vacation there.
Sowore made the allegation in a post on X on Sunday, September 20, 2026, while reacting to Tinubu’s decision not to attend the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The allegation has not been independently established. The Presidency has described Tinubu’s European trip as a three-week annual leave and working vacation, with the President undertaking official engagements while abroad.
Sowore, however, challenged that explanation, arguing that Nigerians were being presented with an incomplete account of the President’s stay in France.
“Tinubu is not on vacation; he is receiving treatment in France,” Sowore alleged.
Sowore Questions Tinubu’s Absence From UNGA
Sowore also linked Tinubu’s absence from the United Nations General Assembly to what he described as the President’s alleged fear of arrest in the United States over a past drug-related case.
The AAC candidate wrote that Tinubu’s inability to attend the UN gathering was, in his view, connected to a “mortal fear” that the US government could order his arrest.
However, Sowore presented this as an allegation and did not provide evidence in the statement establishing that such an arrest order exists or that it was the reason for Tinubu’s absence from UNGA.
The Presidency has instead confirmed that Vice President Kashim Shettima will represent Nigeria at the 81st UN General Assembly in New York.
Tinubu attended the 78th UN General Assembly personally in 2023, while Shettima represented Nigeria at the 79th and 80th sessions in 2024 and 2025.
Presidency Says Tinubu Is On Working Vacation
The Presidency’s public account differs significantly from Sowore’s claim.
Tinubu left Abuja for Europe for a three-week annual leave, with the Presidency describing the trip as a working vacation. Reports indicate that he subsequently travelled to Paris, where he has continued to hold engagements.
On September 18, the State House reported that Tinubu met French businessman Vincent Bolloré in Paris to discuss expanded investments in Nigeria’s creative and digital economy.
According to the State House, discussions covered film, entertainment, fibre-optic infrastructure and related sectors.
Tinubu also attended a private dinner hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace in Paris, according to reports published on Sunday.
These engagements form the basis of the Presidency’s description of the trip as a working vacation.
Sowore Invokes Yar’Adua And Buhari
Sowore compared the situation to previous controversies surrounding the overseas trips of former Presidents Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Muhammadu Buhari.
According to him, Nigerians have witnessed what he described as a pattern of secrecy surrounding presidential health issues, followed by carefully managed public appearances.
“We have seen this script before with Yar’Adua and Buhari: secrecy, deception, carefully managed appearances and a country expected to look away,” Sowore said.
The comparison comes against the backdrop of longstanding public debate in Nigeria over presidential medical trips abroad and the extent to which information about the health of elected leaders should be disclosed.
In Buhari’s case, his administration publicly announced several medical trips and, on various occasions, formally communicated his absence to the National Assembly.
What Is Established And What Remains An Allegation?
At present, several aspects of the controversy should be distinguished.
Established: Tinubu is in Europe as part of a three-week annual leave described by the Presidency as a working vacation. He has been in Paris and has undertaken reported official and business-related engagements.
Established: Tinubu will not attend the 81st UN General Assembly in New York, with Vice President Shettima representing Nigeria.
Sowore’s allegation: The President is receiving medical treatment in France rather than being on vacation.
Sowore’s allegation: Tinubu’s absence from UNGA is connected to a fear of possible arrest in the United States over a past drug-related case.
Neither of those two allegations was established by evidence in Sowore’s statement.
The distinction is important because Tinubu’s Paris engagements have been publicly documented, while the claim concerning medical treatment has not been confirmed by the Presidency in the material reviewed for this report.
Why This Matters
The controversy touches on a recurring issue in Nigerian public life: how much information should citizens receive about the health, whereabouts and official activities of a sitting president?
Presidential travel can involve both private and official activities. However, when questions arise about a president’s health or capacity to perform official duties, transparency becomes particularly significant because the presidency is a public office.
The debate is also occurring as Nigeria approaches the 2027 general election cycle, making statements from presidential candidates about the incumbent politically significant.
For now, the Presidency’s position remains that Tinubu is on annual leave and conducting selected official engagements, while Sowore disputes that explanation and alleges that the President is receiving treatment in France.
Sowore concluded his statement by calling for what he described as the liberation of Nigeria from political “machinations” and the mentality that allows them to continue.
He ended with the hashtag #RevolutionNow.
Conclusion
Sowore’s claim that Tinubu is not on vacation but is receiving treatment in France has added another layer to the debate over the President’s current European trip and his decision to stay away from the UN General Assembly.
While the AAC candidate has made a direct allegation about medical treatment, available public information confirms that Tinubu has been carrying out engagements in Paris and that the Presidency officially characterises his trip as a working vacation.
The medical-treatment claim therefore remains an allegation requiring independent confirmation.
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