Finally, President Tinubu Returns Home
President Bola Tinubu is set to return to Nigeria today, September 29, 2026, after 30 days abroad on what the presidency called “working vacation.”
According to a statement released by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, “President Tinubu has ended his working vacation and has already departed Paris, France, for the homeward journey to Nigeria.”
The statement noted that the President’s aircraft is expected to touch down at Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, later this (Monday) evening.
It said the President is touching down in Lagos in order to honour the memory of Chief MKO Abiola, the martyr of Nigeria’s democratic struggle.
“On Independence Day, the President will attend the premiere of a movie honouring Abiola, the winner of the June 1993 election, at the Wole Soyinka National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos,” Onanuga said. “While in Lagos, President Tinubu will also hold strategic meetings with political leaders and associates over several days in preparation for the 2027 elections.”
President Tinubu has been away since August 30, spending time in London and then Paris, where he was hosted for a private president dinner by French president Emmanuel Macron.
He also was reported to have engaged in other business meetings, including one with Mr. Vincent Bolloré of the Bolloré Group, whose media and digital interests include Canal+, MultiChoice, and Universal Music Group.
The president’s initial return to the country was postponed twice, leading to muted questions about his state of health. Opposition leaders also raised constitutional questions over the failure of the president to transmit power to the Vice President, having exceeded the specified 21 days of absence.
Some members of the House of Representatives also demanded an immediate reconvening of the National Assembly to determine whether such a letter was sent by the President and, where it wasn’t, demand the lawmakers do the needful.
The presidency had pushed back, arguing that the president can govern anywhere. To back this up, Statehouse officials pushed out a series of statements to show that the president was still actively involved in the affairs of state even while in Paris.
“President Tinubu witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ogun State Government and DP World to build a Gateway deep seaport in Ogun Waterside and create a Blue Marine Economic Zone in the area,” Onanuga has stated. “DP World, one of the world’s leading ports and logistics operators, plans to invest $7 billion for the seaport and the economic zone.”
No date has been fixed for the president’s return to his official office at the Statehouse, Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja.
