Atiku Queries Tinubu’s Undisclosed Return Dates From Overseas Travel

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised the Presidency over a lack of transparency surrounding President Bola Tinubu’s travel schedule.

THE WHISTLER reports that Tinubu is expected to depart Abuja on Monday, January 26, 2026, for a state visit to the Republic of Turkey, which the Presidency described as a multi-day diplomatic engagement.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Presidential Spokesman Bayo Onanuga said the visit is aimed at strengthening existing cordial relations between Nigeria and Turkey, while exploring further areas of cooperation in security, education, social development, innovation and aviation.

Onanuga added that the visit would also feature strategic political and diplomatic engagements on shared values in finance, communication, trade and investment.

According to the statement, Tinubu is scheduled to hold meetings with high-ranking officials of the Turkish government, alongside the signing of several memoranda of understanding covering scientific research, energy, technical cooperation, media and communications, military cooperation and protocol, among others.

However, the Presidency did not disclose the president’s return date, stating only that he would return “at the conclusion of the visit.”

Reacting in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday by his aide, Paul Ibe, Atiku questioned the recurring omission of return dates in official announcements of Tinubu’s foreign trips.

“While the Presidency’s official statement issued on January 25, 2026, confirmed his departure date, it did not explicitly specify the exact total number of days for the trip, noting only that he would return ‘at the conclusion of the visit,’” the statement said.

He queried, “What is this new trend of not giving a date of the return of the President whenever he is travelling out?”

In a sarcastic remark suggesting the trips could allow for unscheduled stopovers, Ibe added, “Is it to see if a few days in France to lounge and drink Piña Colada with the French squad can be squeezed in?”