Tinubu’s UNGA Absence Fuels Questions Over Planned Trump Meeting

Tinubu’s UNGA Absence Fuels Questions Over Planned Trump Meeting

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.

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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