President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is returning to Nigeria from France with his immediate schedule in Lagos set to combine a commemoration of a major figure in Nigeria’s democratic history with political consultations ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Tinubu’s aircraft is expected to land at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, later Tuesday after the President ended his working vacation in Paris, where he held a series of private and business-related engagements.
The development was disclosed by the Presidency through the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, and reported by TVC News on Tuesday.
According to Onanuga, Tinubu had “ended his working vacation and has already departed Paris, France, for the homeward journey to Nigeria,” with his aircraft expected to arrive in Lagos later in the evening.
Rather than proceeding directly to Abuja, the President is expected to spend several days in Lagos, where the Presidency said he would hold “strategic meetings with political leaders and associates over several days in preparation for the 2027 elections.”
His Lagos programme will also include an Independence Day engagement centred on the late Chief MKO Abiola, the presumed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
The Presidency said Tinubu chose to return through Lagos in order to honour Abiola, describing him as “the martyr of Nigeria’s democratic struggle.” The President is scheduled to attend the premiere of a movie celebrating Abiola on Independence Day at the Wole Soyinka National Theatre, Iganmu.
The Lagos stop therefore places the President’s return against two parallel backdrops — the commemoration of Nigeria’s democratic history and the political consultations that will precede the 2027 elections.
Tinubu left Abuja on August 30 for his working vacation, spending a week in London before moving to Paris. During his stay in the French capital, he attended a private dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron and met business leaders, including Vincent Bolloré of the Bolloré Group, whose interests include Canal+, MultiChoice and Universal Music Group.
The Presidency also disclosed that Tinubu met the Chairman of First Holdings, Femi Otedola, on Monday.
His foreign engagements further included witnessing the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ogun State Government and DP World for the development of a deep seaport at Ogun Waterside and a Blue Marine Economic Zone.
The Presidency said DP World plans to invest $7 billion in the port and economic zone.
After completing his engagements in Lagos, Tinubu is expected to return to Abuja.
