The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised President Bola Tinubu for travelling to Europe amid escalating security challenges in Nigeria, calling the decision “insensitive and alarming.”
ADC spokesperson Bolaji Abdullahi expressed the party’s concerns in a statement titled “PBAT’s Lack of Care Scary”, shared on his official X account on Sunday.
The comments followed reports by PUNCH Online that the President had left Nigeria for Europe ahead of his participation in the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Summit, where he is expected to engage world leaders on climate action, economic reforms, and sustainable development initiatives.
Abdullahi argued that the timing of the trip was highly inappropriate, given the nation’s ongoing security issues, including a recent deadly bombing in Zamfara State and public unease following a U.S. military strike on Nigerian soil.
He said Nigerians were still awaiting reassurance from the President when news of his travel emerged.
“In the wake of another deadly bomb blast in Zamfara, to which the President has not made any statement; following an unprecedented foreign military attack on Nigerian soil; with a frightened nation looking to the President for assurance, the next thing we hear is that he has left the country. What a President,” Abdullahi said in his statement.
The ADC representative stressed that the President’s absence, coupled with his silence on critical national security matters, raised serious questions about leadership and responsiveness during a period of national anxiety.
PUNCH Online reported that Tinubu departed Lagos for Europe on Sunday as part of his end-of-year schedule, ahead of the official Abu Dhabi visit.
A statement from the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, confirmed that Tinubu would participate in the 2026 Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week Summit at the invitation of the President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The weeklong summit, expected in early January, will gather global leaders from government, business, and civil society to discuss sustainable development. The 2026 edition will be held under the theme “The Nexus of Next: All Systems Go”, focusing on connecting innovation, finance, and people to drive sustainable growth.
