ADC and Labour Party criticise President Tinubu’s Europe holiday, citing insecurity, bomb blasts and foreign military action in Nigeria
The African Democratic Congress and the Labour Party on Sunday criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for leaving Nigeria for Europe on holiday amid escalating insecurity and foreign military interventions in parts of the country.
Also read: Defending the Awujale stool through the courts: The day Ijebu chose law over silence
The Presidency announced on Sunday that President Tinubu departed Lagos for Europe for an end-of-year break ahead of an official visit to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, to attend the 2026 Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week Summit.
President Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, said the trip followed an invitation from the President of the United Arab Emirates, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Mr Onanuga explained that the summit would convene global leaders from government, business and civil society to advance sustainable development strategies.
Reacting, the African Democratic Congress faulted the timing of the President’s travel, describing it as inappropriate in view of recent security developments.
In a statement issued by the ADC National Publicity Secretary, Mr Bola Abdullahi, the party cited a deadly terrorist bomb blast in Zamfara State and ongoing foreign military involvement as reasons Nigerians expected visible leadership.
Mr Abdullahi described the decision to travel as insensitive, saying the nation required reassurance from its elected leader at a critical moment.
The Labour Party expressed a similar view, with its Acting National Chairman, Senator Nenadi Usman, condemning the trip as devoid of empathy.
Speaking through her Senior Special Adviser on Media, Mr Ken Asogwa, Senator Usman said the President should have remained in Nigeria to coordinate security responses.
She argued that the country was facing an external threat and accused the Federal Government of downplaying the gravity of the situation.
Senator Usman added that the absence of high-level security meetings since recent foreign airstrikes on terrorist camps raised troubling questions about leadership engagement.
President Tinubu’s trip comes against the backdrop of heightened tensions following United States Africa Command airstrikes on terrorist camps in Sokoto State and a bomb explosion in Zamfara that claimed several lives.
The 17th edition of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week will hold from January 11 to 15 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre under the theme “The Nexus of Next: All Systems Go.”
Organisers said the event would focus on innovation, climate finance, water security and sustainable development in the Global South.
Mr Onanuga confirmed that President Tinubu would return to Nigeria after the summit, which is expected to attract more than 50,000 participants from over 170 countries.
President Tinubu previously attended the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in January 2025, holding meetings with Gulf investors on trade, energy cooperation and climate finance.
Also read: Defending the Awujale stool through the courts: The day Ijebu chose law over silence
Since assuming office on May 29, 2023, President Tinubu has undertaken numerous foreign trips, a record that has continued to attract fierce public and political scrutiny.
David Okere is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering business, governance, public affairs, and human-interest stories with a commitment to accuracy, balance, and public interest reporting.
