The Special Assistant on Public Communications to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, Phrank Shaibu, has criticised President Bola Tinubu over his Umrah trip to Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
Naija News reports that Shaibu spoke on Monday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
The Atiku aide accused the President of turning the religious trip into a political tool by travelling with only northern governors.
“President Tinubu travelled with only Northern governors to Umrah, meanwhile his cabinet is fortified with Yoruba people. That is the height of hypocrisy,” he said.
According to Shaibu, the President deliberately chose northern governors to accompany him to Makkah to score political points in the region.
He said the President knew his government had been accused of favouring the Yoruba in appointments and wanted to use the trip to counter the narrative.
Shaibu argued that if Tinubu truly believed in inclusiveness, his cabinet would not be dominated by people from his ethnic group.
He urged the President to stop mixing religion with politics and focus on governance that unites Nigerians.
However, President Tinubu has reaffirmed his commitment to Project Nigeria and his determination to build a prosperous nation, invest in the future of young Nigerians, and pursue development in line with the will of Almighty Allah and the people’s aspirations.
Tinubu stated this on Monday while reflecting on his spiritual journey to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah, during which the Custodian of the Holy Mosques of Makkah and Madinah, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, granted him a rare privilege of leading Nigeria’s delegation to pray inside the Holy Ka’abah.
Sheikh Dahlulah Muthawal of Masjid al-Haram led the President into the Ka’abah.
Join the conversation
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.