SaharaReporters earlier reported that the Presidency announced that President Tinubu departed Abuja on Thursday, September 4, for Europe to begin his annual vacation.
Human rights activist and convener of #RevolutionNow Movement, Omoyele Sowore, has countered the claim by the Presidency that President Bola Tinubu departed Nigeria for the UK and France for his annual leave.
SaharaReporters earlier reported that the Presidency announced that President Tinubu departed Abuja on Thursday, September 4, for Europe to begin his annual vacation.
According to a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu will spend the 10-day working vacation between France and the United Kingdom.
Onanuga said the trip marks part of the President’s 2025 annual leave schedule.
But in a post on his X (formerly Twitter), Sowore, a former presidential candidate, said that the claim that Tinubu is going to Europe on annual leave is a lie.
According to him, Tinubu is going on a foreign medical trip to hospitals in France and the UK.
Sowore, who noted that he predicted Tinubu’s trip on Wednesday, wrote, “As predicted yesterday on my Facebook page, someone, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is on his way to a foreign hospital in France and the UK.”
Sowore had in a Facebook post on Wednesday written, “Nigeria today is trapped under the weight of failed leadership, a failed President in Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and failed governors like Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe, Agbu Kefas of Taraba, and Bala Mohammed of Bauchi.
“Trust that one of them is heading to a foreign hospital soon!”
As predicted yesterday on my @facebook page, someone, Bola Ahmed Tinubu @officialABAT, is on his way to a foreign hospital in France and the UK pic.twitter.com/wkkcjaouYC
— Omoyele Sowore (@YeleSowore) September 4, 2025
Tinubu's foreign medical trips started before his inauguration on May 29, 2023, when SaharaReporters exclusively reported that he travelled to France to see his doctors, weeks before his inauguration.
A Pattern of Medical Trips
Shortly after his election in March 2023, SaharaReporters exclusively revealed that Tinubu had been flown to France for medical treatment following a period of intense and physically demanding campaigning.
The trip, which took place on March 21, came on the heels of a viral video showing Tinubu exhibiting signs of ill health, fueling widespread speculation about his condition. He remained abroad for over a month and returned to Nigeria on April 24, 2023.
Barely two weeks later, on May 9, 2023, SaharaReporters again reported exclusively that Tinubu was scheduled to return to France that night for another round of medical consultations ahead of his May 29 inauguration.
According to insider information obtained by the outlet, Tinubu planned to travel discreetly at night and return to Nigeria before the swearing-in ceremony.
The following day, May 10, the Office of the then President-elect confirmed the report, issuing a statement through Tunde Rahman that Tinubu had departed for Europe on what was described as a "working visit."
However, sources who spoke to SaharaReporters maintained that the stated reason was a smokescreen and that Tinubu’s real purpose for the trip was to consult with his medical team in France.
According to the statement issued, Tinubu would “use the opportunity of the trip to finetune the transition plans and programmes, and his policy options with some of his key aides without unnecessary pressures and distractions”.
In June 2023, barely a month after assuming office, Tinubu travelled to France for the New Global Financial Pact Summit, his first international trip as president. While the official reason for this trip was diplomatic, sources reported that Tinubu had received medical treatment during his stay.
Then, on January 24, 2024, the president embarked on what was described as a ‘private visit,’ but multiple sources confirmed that it was for medical care. This trip lasted 13 days, during which he reportedly sought treatment from his doctors in France.
On May 2, 2024, SaharaReporters reported that Tinubu had again landed in France.
The President's trip to France came a few days after his trip to Saudi Arabia officially ended following the conclusion of the World Economic Forum in Riyadh. Investigation by SaharaReporters showed that the President first went to London, England, from Saudi Arabia, and then left the UK for France.
The President's trip to France came a few days after his trip to Saudi Arabia officially ended following the conclusion of the World Economic Forum in Riyadh. Investigation by SaharaReporters showed that the President first went to London, England, from Saudi Arabia, and then left the UK for France.
Therefore, Tinubu made a secretive visit to France after attending the World Economic Forum in Saudi Arabia. He briefly stopped in London before flying to Paris, with sources indicating that this trip was also for medical reasons.
In August 2024, the president returned to France again, this time on a ‘private visit,’ using a newly acquired presidential jet. Despite official statements indicating a short work stay, it was widely believed that this trip had a medical component as well.
By November 2024, Tinubu made a "state visit" to France at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron, but this too coincided with unconfirmed reports of him receiving medical treatment.
More recently, in February 2025, Tinubu travelled to France for another "private visit," which was later revealed to be a medical trip. Just two months later, in April 2025, he departed once again for a two-week “working visit.”
The frequency of these trips has raised growing concerns among Nigerians regarding the transparency of the president’s health status and his capacity to discharge his duties effectively.