Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has urged the Presidency to release daily photographs and videos showing President Bola Tinubu performing the rites of Umrah in Saudi Arabia.
Tinubu is scheduled to depart Abuja on Thursday for Makkah to undertake the Islamic pilgrimage and is expected to return to Nigeria next week, according to Bayo Onanuga, the president’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Onanuga said the visit would provide Tinubu with an opportunity for spiritual reflection and prayers for Nigeria’s peace, unity, stability and progress.
However, Atiku, through Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the African Democratic Congress presidential campaign council, questioned the president’s announced destination and called on the Presidency to disclose his full itinerary.
According to the statement, Atiku expressed concern that Tinubu might make only a brief appearance in Makkah before travelling to France. He also raised questions about whether the trip was connected to the president’s health and a reported $20 billion loan request involving a French business partner.
Atiku urged the Presidency to publish clear, current and date-stamped photographs and videos each day showing Tinubu at the Kaaba and participating in the Umrah rites.
He said Nigerians deserved verifiable evidence of the president’s presence in Makkah and a transparent account of his daily activities during the pilgrimage.
The former vice-president added that he and other Nigerians would join Tinubu in praying for the country’s peace and progress.
He also cautioned against invoking the name of Allah in vain, insisting that a spiritual mission undertaken on behalf of the nation should be treated with seriousness and transparency.
Atiku maintained that an official trip presented as a mission for Nigeria was a matter of public interest, arguing that citizens were entitled to know the president’s daily engagements and how the trip was being funded.
He urged the Presidency to address the concerns and provide what he described as the evidence Nigerians deserved.
Boluwatife Enome
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