Breaking: Atiku Reacts to Tinubu's Scheduled Mecca Trip, Makes Key Demands
- Atiku Abubakar accused President Tinubu of using his announced Umrah pilgrimage as cover for a trip to France
- The ADC presidential candidate called on the Presidency to release date-stamped photos and videos of Tinubu at the Kaaba each day
- Atiku also raised questions about the President's health and a reported $20 billion loan request linked to a French business partner
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Abuja, FCT - Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has challenged President Bola Tinubu to produce daily, date-stamped photographs and videos from Makkah, saying he has credible intelligence suggesting France — not Saudi Arabia — is the President's true destination.
Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, issued the statement on Atiku's behalf on Wednesday, October 28, 2026.
Source: Facebook
Atiku said the intelligence available to him suggests Tinubu may make only a brief stop in Makkah before continuing to France, raising the possibility that the Umrah announcement is being used as a cover story. He urged the Presidency to counter this suspicion by publishing clear, verifiable evidence of the President's presence at the Kaaba and participation in the rites of Umrah each day of the trip.
Questions About Health and a Reported Loan
Beyond the question of the President's whereabouts, Atiku also asked the Presidency to clarify whether the trip has any connection to Tinubu's health condition and to address reports of a $20 billion loan request involving a French business partner. He said Nigerians are entitled to a full account of the President's itinerary and a transparent explanation of how the trip is being funded.
Atiku stressed that an official journey presented as a spiritual mission on behalf of the Nigerian people is a matter of public record.
"No one should invoke the name of Almighty Allah in vain," he said, adding that a mission of this nature must be treated with sincerity and openness.
He said he and other Nigerians would join the President in prayers for peace and progress in the country but insisted that the Presidency must answer the questions being raised plainly and provide the evidence the public deserves.
When Is Tinubu Travelling to Mecca and Why?
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that President Tinubu would leave Abuja on Thursday, October 29, 2026, to perform Umrah in Mecca, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with prayers for Nigeria's peace and unity central to his visit.
The trip was announced by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, who described the pilgrimage as an opportunity for "spiritual reflection, devotion, and prayers for Nigeria's peace, unity, stability, and continued progress." Umrah is a voluntary Islamic pilgrimage to the holy city of Makkah that can be performed at any time of the year, unlike the Hajj, which follows a fixed Islamic calendar date.
Before boarding his flight, President Tinubu will perform an official engagement at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, where he will commission a set of newly acquired equipment for the Nigerian Air Force ahead of the trip.
Source: Legit.ng
