Presidency Denies Report of Tinubu’s Planned Visit to U.S.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, on Monday debunked reports that President Bola Tinubu was set to travel to the United States for a meeting with U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, insisting that the information was completely false.

Ajayi, in a post via his official X (formerly Twitter) handle, said the report, first published by Sahara Reporters, had fuelled “uninformed commentaries” based on fake news.

“There’s a Sahara Reporters story that President Tinubu is going to the U.S. on Tuesday to see U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance. That story is not true,” Ajayi wrote.

“I can see that the fake news has become the basis for some uninformed commentaries since yesterday. If President Tinubu is going to the White House, he won’t be going to see a Vice President.”

The clarification followed reports circulating over the weekend that President Tinubu would embark on a “top-level diplomatic visit” to Washington amid global discussions about the alleged persecution of Christians in Nigeria and comments recently attributed to former U.S. President Donald Trump.

Trump, in a post on his Truth Social account on Saturday, had warned that the United States might “go in guns blazing” if the Nigerian government failed to curb attacks on Christians.

“If the Nigerian government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the USA will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities,” Trump wrote.

“I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our cherished Christians.”

The remarks sparked a wave of controversy and speculation about possible diplomatic moves by Nigeria.

However, the Presidency over the weekend denied any claims of “Christian genocide” in the country, reaffirming that Nigeria remains a democratic state committed to religious freedom, tolerance, and equality for all citizens.

Ajayi urged Nigerians to disregard the false report, adding that official information regarding the President’s foreign engagements would always be communicated through verified government channels.