President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s return to Nigeria after the 2025 BRICS Summit has drawn sharp criticism from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), which has demanded a public explanation for his five-day absence following the end of the high-profile gathering in Brazil.
In a statement issued by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bola Abdullahi, the ADC accused Tinubu of showing disregard for transparency and national responsibility by failing to inform Nigerians of his whereabouts after the summit concluded on July 7.
The President, who left Abuja on June 28 for a diplomatic tour that included a visit to Saint Lucia and participation in the BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, did not return to Nigeria until the early hours of July 13.
While welcoming him back, the ADC expressed concern over what it called a troubling pattern of silent international trips and unexplained delays.
The party noted that other world leaders had promptly returned to their countries and resumed official duties, whereas Tinubu’s prolonged absence left citizens in the dark during a time of economic and security uncertainty.
“The African Democratic Congress extends a cautious welcome to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” the party stated. “While world leaders briefed their nations after the summit, our own President reappeared without a word five days later. This lack of accountability is unacceptable.”
The ADC argued that every day matters in a country grappling with severe challenges, and that the president’s silence in moments like this only deepens public frustration.
The party also pointed to what it described as a recurring pattern of uncommunicated absences, referencing previous unexplained trips to France, the UK, and China, each marked by days of silence from the presidency and a lack of official updates.
Warning that such conduct erodes public confidence and damages Nigeria’s international image, the ADC said repeated absences without explanation “fuel damaging speculation” and cast doubt on the administration’s commitment to transparent leadership.
“A leader who evades accountability cannot in good conscience ask citizens to make sacrifices,” the party concluded.
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