An American lobbying firm linked to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has claimed that a proposed meeting between President Bola Tinubu and US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly will no longer take place.

The claim by Von Batten Montague York-LC came shortly after the Nigerian Presidency confirmed that Tinubu would not physically attend the 81st UN General Assembly in New York.

Instead, Vice President Kashim Shettima has been directed to lead Nigeria’s delegation to the gathering.

In a post on X, the US-based firm said the proposed Tinubu-Trump meeting had been cancelled. It also claimed that any possible US endorsement of Tinubu ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 presidential election was no longer on the table.

The firm alleged that securing a meeting with Trump and obtaining his endorsement was a major objective of Tinubu’s planned UNGA trip. It further claimed that about $9 million in Nigerian public funds had been spent on efforts to facilitate the proposed engagement.

Those allegations have not been independently established.

Tinubu to Miss UNGA

The development follows the Presidency’s confirmation that Tinubu will not attend the annual gathering in person.

The President had previously been listed as a speaker for the high-level General Debate, but the government subsequently announced that Shettima would represent him.

The change ends weeks of uncertainty over whether Tinubu would travel to New York. Nigeria’s UN ambassador had earlier indicated that arrangements had been made for the President to attend the 81st session.

Meanwhile, reports of a possible Tinubu-Trump meeting had attracted attention because of the two countries’ diplomatic and economic engagements.

The latest statement by the lobbying firm is therefore another development in the ongoing debate over whether such a meeting would take place. However, the firm’s claims about the proposed meeting, the alleged $9 million expenditure and Tinubu’s supposed objective remain allegations rather than independently verified facts.

Tinubu’s UNGA Absence Fuels Questions Over Planned Trump Meeting

APC Wins Four of Five By-Elections as APM Takes Bauchi Seat

The All Progressives Congress (APC) won four of the five legislative by-elections conducted across Gombe, Kano, Bauchi and Delta states, while the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) secured the remaining seat in Bauchi.

The elections, conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Saturday, September 19, 2026, were held to fill one vacant federal constituency seat and four vacant state assembly seats.

The APC victories came in the Gombe/Kwami/Funakaye Federal Constituency of Gombe State, Dawakin Kudu State Constituency in Kano, Udu State Constituency in Delta and Disina State Constituency in Bauchi.

The APM won the Sakwa State Constituency in Zaki Local Government Area of Bauchi State.

In Gombe, APC candidate Kallamu Usman MaiJama’a won the Gombe/Kwami/Funakaye Federal Constituency election with 41,121 votes. The Labour Party candidate polled 3,553 votes, while the APM candidate received 872 votes.

In Kano, APC candidate Husseini Datti emerged winner of the Dawakin Kudu State Constituency election with 22,890 votes. The Peoples Redemption Party scored 270 votes, while the Peoples Democratic Party recorded 108 votes. Other parties recorded lower figures.

In Delta State, APC candidate Okolosi Ator won the Udu State Constituency seat with 8,724 votes, while the PDP candidate polled 214 votes.

The APC also secured the Disina State Constituency seat in Bauchi, where its candidate, Yakubu Ali, obtained 5,846 votes. The APM candidate scored 5,225 votes, while the PRP candidate received 3,701 votes.

The second Bauchi contest produced a different result, with Adamu Yakubu of the APM winning the Sakwa State Constituency seat with 8,515 votes. The APC polled 3,771 votes, the PDP 2,076, and the PRP 727.

The results followed INEC’s conduct of the five polls across the four states after the seats became vacant through different circumstances, including death, resignation and defection.

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The Gombe/Kwami/Funakaye federal seat became vacant following the death of the former lawmaker, Yaya Bauchi Tongo, in June 2026. In Bauchi, the Sakwa seat became vacant following the death of its former occupant, while the Disina seat became vacant after the lawmaker resigned to pursue another political position.

The Udu seat in Delta became vacant following the defection of its former occupant, Collins Egbetamah, from the APC to the Nigeria Democratic Congress. The Dawakin Kudu seat in Kano became vacant after its former occupant, Rabiu Shuaibu, left the state assembly to contest the Dawakin Kudu/Warawa Federal Constituency election.

Ahead of the polls, INEC deployed sensitive materials and electoral personnel to the affected constituencies, while security agencies announced deployments aimed at maintaining order before, during and after voting.

INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, monitored the elections from the commission’s National Situation Room in Abuja and described the exercise as an important operational test ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Amupitan said the five by-elections would provide the commission with lessons on logistics, technological deployment and the readiness of field personnel.

He stressed that bye-elections should not be treated as routine exercises because each poll provides an opportunity for INEC to assess and improve its electoral processes ahead of larger elections.

Reports from the four states indicated that voting was generally peaceful, although some operational challenges were recorded.

In parts of Gombe and Kano, reports indicated relatively low voter turnout, while some Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) challenges were reported during the Delta election.

The Bauchi election also recorded a security incident, with the state police command reporting the arrest of 47 suspects in parts of Shira Local Government Area.

According to the police, the suspects allegedly posed as members of a state-owned security outfit and were found in possession of items including guns, cutlasses and sticks. The arrests were made in connection with the election security operation.

The results have also drawn attention because of their timing ahead of the 2027 general elections, although the outcome of five constituency-level by-elections does not by itself determine the outcome of the wider 2027 elections.

APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, congratulated the party’s candidates who won the four seats and commended APC members, campaign teams and party leaders involved in the contests.

Yilwatda also acknowledged voters, INEC, security agencies and other stakeholders who participated in the elections, while urging the successful candidates to remain committed to their constituents.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu also congratulated the successful candidates. He urged the newly elected lawmakers to justify the confidence placed in them by their constituents and called on unsuccessful candidates to accept the results in good faith.

The INEC election results portal continued to receive result sheets from the five constituencies after the polls, providing an electronic record of results uploaded from polling units.

The commission is scheduled to conduct the next nationwide presidential and National Assembly elections on January 16, 2027, followed by governorship and state House of Assembly elections in participating states on February 6, 2027.

The September 19 by-elections therefore provide INEC and participating political parties with an opportunity to review electoral logistics, voter participation, technology deployment and election security before the larger 2027 electoral cycle.

APC Wins Four of Five By-Elections as APM Takes Bauchi Seat

2027: NDC Predicts Wider Obi Victory Over Tinubu in Lagos

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has expressed confidence that its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, will defeat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Lagos State in the 2027 presidential election, predicting that the former Anambra State governor will win by a wider margin than he did in 2023.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, said Obi’s victory over Tinubu in Lagos during the 2023 presidential election was not accidental, describing it as a reflection of the political mood in the state.

Director said the NDC expected Obi to build on his previous performance if the 2027 election was conducted under conditions the party considers free and fair.

He also challenged the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its supporters to allow voters to determine the outcome of the election without intimidation, violence, inducement or other forms of electoral malpractice.

According to him, the NDC has studied the lessons of the 2023 election and is preparing to strengthen its structures and protect its votes across the country.

Director said the party was prepared to confront any challenges that could arise during the election, including alleged attempts to intimidate voters or disrupt the electoral process.

Another NDC candidate in Lagos, Ladipo Johnson, also expressed confidence in Obi’s prospects in the state, attributing the expected improvement to what he described as dissatisfaction with the Tinubu administration.

Johnson said Obi would win Lagos again and by a wider margin, adding that the NDC had become stronger following the realignment of opposition politicians and political groups ahead of the 2027 election.

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He also raised concerns about possible voter intimidation, harassment and vote buying, urging Nigerians to protect their votes and ensure that electoral choices are respected.

However, the claims by Director and Johnson about Obi’s expected performance in Lagos are political predictions by NDC officials and do not constitute an established election outcome.

The 2023 presidential election remains the latest completed presidential contest in Lagos. Obi won the state with 582,454 votes, narrowly ahead of Tinubu, who polled 572,606 votes, according to results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Obi won nine of Lagos State’s 20 local government areas, including Ajeromi-Ifelodun, Amuwo-Odofin, Eti-Osa, Ikeja, Kosofe, Oshodi-Isolo, Somolu, Ojo and Alimosho.

Tinubu won the remaining 11 local government areas: Agege, Apapa, Badagry, Epe, Ibeju-Lekki, Ifako-Ijaiye, Ikorodu, Lagos Island, Lagos Mainland, Mushin and Surulere.

The result made Lagos one of the closely watched states in the 2023 presidential contest, particularly because Tinubu had previously served as governor of the state and maintained a significant political structure there.

The political landscape has since changed considerably ahead of the 2027 election.

INEC has published its final list of presidential candidates, with 18 candidates cleared to contest the January 16, 2027 presidential election.

Tinubu is listed as the APC presidential candidate, while former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is contesting under the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Obi is listed as the presidential candidate of the NDC, with former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso as his running mate.

The changes mean that the party alignments and political structures involved in the 2027 contest are different from those that shaped the 2023 election.

Obi’s move from the Labour Party to the NDC has also changed the political platform through which he is seeking the presidency, while Kwankwaso’s emergence as his running mate has brought another major political bloc into the NDC structure.

For the NDC, Lagos remains an important target as it seeks to expand Obi’s support beyond the areas where he performed strongly in 2023.

The party’s argument is based partly on the margin by which Obi won Lagos in 2023 and its assessment of the current political environment in the state.

The APC, meanwhile, remains a major political force in Lagos, where it has maintained a strong organisational structure over several election cycles.

The 2027 contest will therefore take place against a different political backdrop, with new party alliances, candidates and campaign structures competing for the support of Lagos voters.

Beyond Lagos, the NDC is seeking to build a nationwide campaign around Obi’s candidacy, while the APC and other parties are also working to consolidate their respective support bases.

Issues likely to shape the campaign include the economy, cost of living, security, employment, governance, electoral credibility and the performance of the federal government.

The NDC has continued to emphasise the need for a credible electoral process, with its officials urging security agencies, electoral authorities and political parties to ensure that voters can cast their ballots without intimidation.

For now, the prediction that Obi will defeat Tinubu by a wider margin in Lagos remains the stated expectation of the NDC and its candidates.

The actual result will depend on the votes cast and officially declared in the 2027 presidential election.

2027: NDC Predicts Wider Obi Victory Over Tinubu in Lagos