Human rights activist Omoyele Sowore alleged on Monday that President Bola Tinubu was hospitalized and undergoing treatment in France. Sowore made the claim during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme.
Sowore serves as the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress. He stated that reliable sources informed him of the situation. “Reliable sources have said Tinubu is undergoing treatment in France,” Sowore said. “Those once-in-a-while appearances are designed to fool the public.”
He further noted that the president remained in hospital. “Tinubu is hospitalized in France. I don’t know what ailment it is because we don’t have those details, and that is why they have not discharged him from the hospital,” Sowore added.
The Presidency earlier described Tinubu’s European journey as a three-week annual leave and working vacation. Tinubu left Abuja on August 30. He first travelled to London before proceeding to Paris.
During the stay, official reports confirmed meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron and businessman Vincent Bolloré. Meanwhile, Vice President Kashim Shettima led Nigeria’s delegation to the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York after Tinubu stayed away.
Sowore first raised the issue on September 20 in a post on X. He rejected the vacation explanation. “Tinubu is not on vacation; he is receiving treatment in France, and they will package him to return as though nothing happened,” Sowore wrote.
He also linked the UNGA absence to an alleged fear of arrest in the United States over a past drug-related case. Additionally, Sowore compared the secrecy to the handling of overseas medical trips by former Presidents Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Muhammadu Buhari.
Sowore provided no independent medical records to support the claims. The Presidency maintained its official account of the trip as leave.
