The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare

President Bola Tinubu has left Nigeria for a three-week vacation in Europe as preparations intensify for the 2027 general elections.

Naija News earlier reported that the President departed Abuja on Sunday for the break, which his media aide, Sunday Dare, described as an opportunity to rest and regain strength ahead of an expected period of hectic political activities.

Dare, the Presidential Adviser on Media and Public Communications, spoke with journalists shortly after Tinubu’s departure from the Federal Capital Territory.

Explaining the reason for the President’s vacation, Dare said Tinubu had spent the last several months dealing with major national issues, including the economy and security.

He said the sustained engagement made the break necessary, particularly as the political season had begun.

Dare said, “The President has had several months six, seven months of being engaged with state matters. We’ve seen monumental changes, monumental decisions taken with our security, with our economy and so many other things as pertains to the running of the affairs of this country.

“And at this point, the campaign season has just started. We have four, five months of serious campaigning. Of course, governance will still continue.

“And at this point, it’s important that the President also refuels. And even though he’s going on leave, we know that he’ll be engaged with state matters on a daily basis.”

The presidential aide explained that government business would continue while Tinubu was outside the country.

He said the President was expected to remain in contact with ministers, service chiefs and other officials responsible for critical areas of governance.

“He will receive briefings from his ministers, from the service chiefs as the case may be, and from every other person who is handling very key decisions in our country,” Dare added.

The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said London, United Kingdom, would be the President’s first destination.

Onanuga also said Tinubu would return to Nigeria at the end of the vacation and join the campaign activities ahead of the January 2027 presidential election.

The Department of State Services (DSS) has directed its counsel, Akinolu Kehinde, SAN, to seek a suspension of the cybercrime case against African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, until after the 2027 general election.

The decision followed a meeting on August 20, 2026, involving DSS Director-General Tosin Ajayi, Kehinde, and senior officials in the agency’s legal directorate.

According to a source familiar with the development, the meeting focused on the possibility of putting the case on hold so that Sowore can participate fully in the 2027 presidential election without the court proceedings interfering with his campaign.

Sowore is expected to contest the presidential election scheduled for January 16, 2027, under the platform of the AAC.

“The DSS boss reportedly told the Senior Advocate and his directorate of legal services that, with the commencement of presidential campaigns, it would only be fair to pause the court case to enable Sowore to participate in the upcoming elections without let or hindrance,” the source said.

The proposed suspension would come after almost one year of legal proceedings over social media posts made by Sowore concerning President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The source said Ajayi also considered the length of time the matter had already spent before the court.

“The DSS boss told the lawyers that, since the matter had been in court for nearly a year, suspending it for another four months wouldn’t make much difference,” the source added.

The DSS is expected to approach the Federal High Court in Abuja with the request when the court resumes from its annual judicial vacation.

The court is scheduled to resume normal sittings from September 14, 2026.

If the application is granted, the proceedings would remain on hold during the major period of the 2027 presidential campaign and election.

The case originated from posts made by Sowore on his X and Facebook accounts in August 2025.

On August 25, 2025, Sowore reacted to comments made by Tinubu during the President’s official visit to Brazil.

In the post, the AAC politician described the President as a “criminal” while questioning his claim that corruption had been eliminated under his administration.

The DSS subsequently demanded that Sowore remove the post.

The agency also asked him to retract the statement and issue a public apology. Sowore, however, refused to comply with the demand.

The disagreement eventually moved to the Federal High Court, where the DSS sought judicial determination over whether Sowore’s comments amounted to cyberbullying and other offences under Nigerian law.

The initial case involved Sowore alongside X Corp, formerly known as Twitter, and Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook.

However, the DSS later amended the charge and removed X and Meta from the proceedings. Sowore became the sole defendant in the amended case.

In January 2026, the Federal High Court re-arraigned Sowore on a two-count amended charge. He pleaded not guilty to the allegations.

The trial subsequently commenced, with DSS witnesses giving evidence on the alleged impact of the posts.

During one of the proceedings in January, a DSS operative told the court that the post had generated reactions and was considered capable of creating tension and affecting public safety.

The defence, however, challenged the prosecution’s case and questioned the basis for the DSS action.

The trial also produced several notable developments.

In January 2026, the court admitted a video involving former presidential aide Reno Omokri, in which he had previously referred to Tinubu as a “drug lord”.

The material was tendered by Sowore’s legal team during cross-examination of a DSS witness.

The prosecution has maintained that Sowore’s posts were false and capable of causing public disorder. Sowore has denied the allegations and maintained his position on the matter.

In April 2026, the Federal High Court dismissed a fundamental rights suit filed by Sowore against the DSS, its Director-General and Meta over the removal of a Facebook post in which he referred to Tinubu as a “criminal”.

Justice Mohammed Garba Umar dismissed the suit and awarded N1.5 million against Sowore.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will today depart Abuja for Europe to begin a three-week vacation as part of his annual leave.

Naija News reports that this was disclosed in a statement on Sunday by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

According to the statement, the president will first stop at London, United Kingdom.

President Tinubu is also expected to return home after the working vacation to join the hectic campaign for the January 2027 election.

Naija News reports that this is coming a week after Vice President Kashim Shettima returned to Nigeria from his two-week vacation, resuming his official duties two days before the scheduled end of his leave.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Stanley Nkwocha, had described the break as Shettima’s first since he was sworn into office on May 29, 2023.

He had stated that the Vice President used the period for study, reflection and intellectual renewal in preparation for his continued service to the country.

Nkwocha had said the leave allowed Shettima to review ongoing government programmes and broaden his understanding of emerging policy issues at the national and international levels