President Bola Tinubu has returned to Abuja after completing his visit to Saudi Arabia.
Naija News reports that the President’s aircraft landed in Abuja at about 8:53 pm local time on Wednesday.
The Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila; the Minister of Education; the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Mattawale; the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu; and other government officials received him at the airport.
Tinubu had travelled to Saudi Arabia, where he performed the Umrah (Lesser Hajj) in the holy city of Makkah.
Meanwhile, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Protocol, Ademola Oshodi, has dismissed claims that President Bola Tinubu’s Umrah pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia aimed to court northern voters ahead of the 2027 election.
Oshodi, who spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, said the trip should be viewed through a religious and national lens.
The presidential aide said the President’s access to the Holy Kaaba was significant to Muslims across the country and not just a regional matter.
You know public opinion is far from being monolithic. One section of the population cannot come and say, ‘This is for votes from the North’.
“I believe we should look at it from a different aspect. This is a huge significance for Nigeria. This is the first South-West leader to have been given that honour. How do the South-West Nigerians see that?
“So, it is not just a Northern or Southern thing. It is a Muslim thing. And the Muslims have cherished this opportunity,” he said.
Oshodi noted that the President had performed the Umrah and the Hajj several times in his life, insisting the trip was not politically motivated.
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