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Phrank Shaibu, senior special assistant on public communication to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, has accused President Bola Tinubu of using his recent Umrah pilgrimage to Makkah for personal spiritual purposes rather than praying for Nigeria as the Presidency claimed.
Shaibu made the allegation during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, describing the President’s trip to Saudi Arabia as a “political Umrah”.
He argued that although the Presidency presented the visit as an opportunity for Tinubu to pray for Nigeria’s peace and progress, the President had actually travelled for personal reasons.
“It is for himself. He has gone there to pray for himself. In trying to mask this trip, they claimed it was for the nation,” Shaibu said.
He also criticised Tinubu for reportedly saying he had received the wisdom needed to govern Nigeria and secured what he described as spiritual endorsement for a second term.
“And he has come out to say, oh, he has received the wisdom he needed to rule this country. And that he has gotten what they call spiritual endorsement for his second term,” he said.
Shaibu argued that the President’s previous Umrah visit, which reportedly took place three and a half years ago before the 2023 election, had given the latest pilgrimage a political dimension.
“I will call it political Umrah. Permit me to use that expression. If not, ordinarily, there is nothing for us to discuss when a Nigerian who worships and who believes in the Islamic faith visits the holy land.
“It is for a personal purpose. Prayer is important. The holy land is precious. It is important to all Muslims,” he added.
Phrank Shaibu also questioned Tinubu’s sincerity of faith, citing the continued detention of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, over what he described as a minor political disagreement.
Shaibu argued that the President had the power to facilitate el-Rufai’s release, pointing to Tinubu’s reported intervention to enable the former governor to bury his mother.
“That was not the court. So, he knows what to do. The conditions they gave for his bail are obnoxious, completely obnoxious. That is a fellow Muslim,” he said.
He further linked the debate about religious sincerity to the economic difficulties facing Nigerians, particularly the struggle by many households to afford food.
“So, when we’re talking of sincerity of faith, we’re talking of people, Nigerians being unable to feed,” he added.
Shaibu also claimed that Atiku sponsored Tinubu’s first trip to Makkah, saying the former Vice-President had taken him to the holy land because of his personal commitment to faith.
“The first trip Bola Tinubu made to the holy land was on the bills of Atiku Abubakar. He took him there. It’s on record,” he said.
“They should contest it. He took him there because of his love for people, because of his love for the Almighty as well. He loves to bring people to know God, to love God and to serve him well.”
He also claimed that Atiku spent 30 days in Makkah during Ramadan last year but did not publicise the visit because it was a private spiritual exercise.
Tinubu departed Abuja for Makkah on Thursday, October 29, to perform Umrah, an Islamic pilgrimage to the holy city.
The President’s spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, had said the visit would provide an opportunity for “spiritual reflection, devotion, and prayers for Nigeria’s peace, unity, stability, and continued progress”.
After performing the religious rites on Friday, October 30, Tinubu described the experience as deeply spiritual and said he had prayed for Nigeria and its citizens.
On Sunday, the President hosted some governors and members of his delegation to dinner in Makkah, where he prayed that Nigeria’s diversity would translate into prosperity.
