Former Senate President Pius Anyim has stated that President Bola Tinubu’s absence from the ongoing United Nations General Assembly in New York shouldn’t be an issue.
The chieftain of the All Progressives Congress said the President’s decision to delegate the assignment to Vice President Kashim Shettima should not be a source of concern.
Anyim, who also served as Secretary to the Government of the Federation, stated this on Monday while featuring on ARISE NEWS’ Prime Time.
Tinubu, who was initially scheduled to return to Nigeria after a short working vacation, extended his stay abroad, with the Presidency saying he would use the period for a private visit and other engagements before returning to the country.
Meanwhile, Shettima is representing Nigeria at the 80th session of the UNGA in the United States.
Anyim said there was nothing unusual about the President’s absence, arguing that the Vice President had the constitutional capacity to represent the country at the gathering.
“I really don’t understand why his absence should be an issue. I think Nigerians know very well that the President is on short leave, a short vacation.
“He simply assigned his Vice President to undertake the assignment. I don’t know why we are making so much out of this. There is nothing that compares to the President being at UNGA. The Vice President can represent the country, even the Foreign Minister,” he said.
Explaining the nature of the UNGA, the former Senate president said the annual event comprised the General Assembly and several bilateral and multilateral engagements held on the sidelines.
He said the President’s absence would only become significant if there were scheduled engagements that required his personal attendance.
“The structure of UNGA involves the General Assembly and side meetings. Side meetings could be bilateral or multilateral. What you present in that General Assembly statement is simply reading a statement from your country. This is something that the Vice President can do,” he said.
Anyim also dismissed concerns that Tinubu’s absence could prevent him from meeting United States President Donald Trump, saying such high-level engagements were normally scheduled in advance.
“It’s not about meeting the President by chance. The fact that you sit together with the President doesn’t mean anything. The President of America normally would have a schedule set ahead of time,” he said.
He added that Tinubu was not the only world leader who had chosen not to attend the annual gathering in person.
“It doesn’t matter. After all, there are many heads of state who don’t go,” Anyim said.