Atiku Abubakar, former vice-president, has asked the presidency to release daily photographs and videos of President Bola Tinubu performing Umrah rites in Saudi Arabia.
Tinubu is scheduled to depart Abuja on Thursday for Makkah
to undertake the Islamic pilgrimage and is expected back in Nigeria next week,
according to Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and
strategy.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Onanuga said the visit
would offer the president an opportunity for spiritual reflection and prayers
for Nigeria’s peace, unity, stability and progress.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by Phrank Shaibu,
director of strategic communication of the African Democratic Congress (ADC)
presidential campaign council, Atiku questioned the president’s announced
destination.
“Atiku said there was reason to believe President Tinubu
might just make a brief appearance in Makkah before proceeding to France,” the
statement reads.
“He also raised questions about whether the trip is
connected to the President’s health and a reported $20 billion loan request
involving a French business partner. Atiku called on the Presidency to address
these concerns and disclose the President’s full itinerary.
“Atiku said that if President Tinubu is truly traveling to
pray for Nigeria, the Presidency should release clear, current, date-stamped
photographs and videos each day showing him at the Kaaba and participating in
the rites of Umrah.
“Nigerians, he said, deserve verifiable proof of the
President’s presence in Makkah and a transparent account of his daily
activities in the Holy Land.”
Atiku added that he and other Nigerians would join Tinubu in
prayers for the peace and progress of the country.
He cautioned against invoking the name of Allah in vain,
saying a spiritual mission undertaken on behalf of the nation should be treated
with seriousness and transparency.
The former vice-president also stated that an official trip
presented as a mission for Nigeria is a matter of public interest, adding that
citizens are entitled to know the president’s daily engagements and how the
trip was being funded.
He urged the presidency to answer the questions and provide
what he described as the evidence Nigerians deserve.
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