The African Democratic Congress has criticised what it calls the “alarming frequency” of President Bola Tinubu’s foreign trips.
The party warned that his repeated absences come at a time “when leadership at home is needed more than ever.
The party disclosed this in a statement posted on X.Tinubu was on Thursday scheduled to embarked on a two-nation trip to Japan and Brazil, with a brief stopover in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, PUNCH Online earlier reported.
A former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, had also criticised Tinubu over his planned 12-day trip to Japan and Brazil, describing it as insensitive to Nigeria’s worsening security and economic challenges.
In a release signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC noted that “today, President Tinubu will depart Abuja for yet another foreign tour.
“By public records, this will be the President’s 40th foreign trip since assuming office, spending a cumulative total of around 181 days abroad, the equivalent of almost six full months.
“This means that in the 26 months he has been President, nearly 25% of his time has been spent outside the country.”
The party said the President is now “on track to make his 41st international stop before setting foot in most Nigerian states,” pointing out that since his inauguration, “President Tinubu has only visited 13 out of 36 States, but has visited more foreign countries during the same period. This is not good.”
The ADC also questioned the economic justification for the trips: “There are no real economic gains for the junkets despite the billions of Naira spent per day and per trip.”
Citing “growing insecurity that claims the lives of an average 30 Nigerian each day” and “widespread poverty that have left majority of citizens in misery,” the party accused the President of presiding over a “frequent flier presidency” that “stands in stark contrast and as a testament to a government that no longer cares what the people think or feel.”
From “Benue to Zamfara and other parts of our country, taxes are being imposed by bandits, citizens are being slaughtered in their homes, millions are facing economic hardship and the population of malnourished children has continued to grow,” the ADC lamented.
The statement stressed that “Nigerians expect their President to be on ground to provide leadership, empathy, and direction.
“However, it would appear that the President thinks that there are more serious problems for him to solve outside the country or he believes the solutions to the many troubles we face at home could actually be found on these trips abroad.”
The ADC referenced recent rumours about the President’s health, noting that since August 1, 2025, “the President had disappeared from public view for more than a week.”
While acknowledging that the Presidency later assured the nation that “the President is as fit as a fiddle,” the ADC warned, “Rumour of a sick president, or even mere conversations that could raise doubts about the state of the President’s health are potentially damaging to the economy, could discourage potential investors, further embolden our enemies.”
The party rejected claims that the President can work effectively from undisclosed locations: “It is not good enough to say the President was working hard from home or from any secret hideouts. Whenever a president drops out of sight without an explanation, it gives rise to all kinds of damaging rumours. And a one-day cameo appearance that looked stage-managed, followed immediately by yet another foreign trip, without a clearly stated date of return is not going to help in quelling such rumours.”
The ADC suggested that Tinubu could avoid many of these trips if he had appointed ambassadors.
“Perhaps, if the President had heeded our persistent call to him to appoint ambassadors he would not have a need to accept every invitations or to personally attend every meeting,” the party suggested.
Reiterating its stance, the party declared: “For avoidance of doubts, all these meetings, even with the best of intentions, are not likely to yield any real benefits to Nigeria without ambassadors to follow up on agreements reached.
“In this regard, the ADC wishes to reiterate that: Nigeria deserves a President who is present. While millions of our citizens are suffering, our leaders cannot afford to treat governance like a part-time job.”