…Former Vice President questions President’s itinerary, alleges France may be his actual destination

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has questioned President Bola Tinubu’s announced Umrah pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, demanding daily photographic and video evidence of his presence in Makkah.

Atiku, in a statement issued on Wednesday by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council, alleged that the pilgrimage announcement could be a smokescreen, claiming that information available to him suggested France might be the President’s actual destination.

He alleged that Tinubu could make a brief appearance in Makkah before proceeding to France.

Atiku also questioned whether the trip was connected to the President’s health and a reported $20 billion loan request involving a French business partner. He urged the Presidency to clarify the concerns and disclose the President’s full itinerary.

The former vice president said the Presidency should release clear, current and date-stamped photographs and videos each day showing Tinubu at the Kaaba and participating in the rites of Umrah.

He said Nigerians deserved verifiable evidence of the President’s presence in Makkah and a transparent account of his daily engagements during the trip.

Atiku added that he and other Nigerians would join the President in prayers for the country’s peace and progress.

However, he cautioned against invoking the name of Allah in vain, insisting that a spiritual exercise undertaken on behalf of the nation should be treated with seriousness and transparency.

He 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.

Atiku urged the Presidency to address the questions directly and provide what he described as the evidence Nigerians deserved.