A presidential aide has rejected claims that President Bola Tinubu’s recent Umrah pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia was designed to court voters in Northern Nigeria ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Ademola Oshodi, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Protocol, said the trip should be understood in religious and national terms rather than as an electoral strategy aimed at any particular region. He spoke on Monday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
According to Oshodi, the significance of Tinubu’s access to the Holy Kaaba, Islam’s most sacred structure, extends well beyond regional politics. He noted that Muslims across the country have cherished what he described as a rare opportunity.
Public opinion is not monolithic
Responding to suggestions that the pilgrimage was intended to win Northern support, Oshodi said public opinion cannot be treated as a single, uniform voice. He argued that no one section of the population can credibly claim the visit was staged for Northern votes.
He stressed that the development carries considerable significance for Nigeria as a whole, pointing out that Tinubu is the first South-West leader to have been granted the honour. In his view, the moment should be appreciated for what it means to the region and to Nigerian Muslims generally, rather than reduced to a North-versus-South question.
Oshodi also dismissed the notion that the pilgrimage was a political manoeuvre, noting that the President has performed Umrah on multiple occasions and has undertaken the Hajj several times over the course of his life. He explained that the rare privilege was extended to Tinubu in his capacity as the leader of the largest Muslim country in Africa.
A call to depoliticise spiritual matters
The aide urged critics not to focus excessively on the timing of the visit. Instead, he said, attention should be directed at the President’s stated purpose: seeking divine guidance on how best to lead Nigeria and praying for success in his re-election bid.
Oshodi suggested that other presidential candidates should likewise seek God, whether in Jerusalem or in Mecca, and cautioned against overemphasising a leader’s spiritual observances. In his words, not everything should be politicised.
Details of the Saudi visit
Tinubu announced the conclusion of his visit to Saudi Arabia in a post on his X account on Monday, stating that he and members of his delegation had been granted access to the Holy Kaaba to pray and had performed the Umrah pilgrimage.
The President departed Abuja for Saudi Arabia the previous Thursday, accompanied by several state governors, ministers and members of the business community. During the visit, he was granted access to the interior of the Holy Kaaba in Makkah, a privilege the Presidency said was authorised by Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
The Kaaba is a cube-shaped structure at the centre of the Grand Mosque in Makkah and is Islam’s most sacred site, serving as the direction towards which Muslims face during their daily prayers. Access to its interior is restricted and widely regarded as a rare honour.
Tinubu is not the first Nigerian President to enter the Kaaba. Former President Muhammadu Buhari was granted similar access during a visit to Saudi Arabia in 2016.
In a statement on Monday, the State House said Tinubu thanked King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for granting him and his delegation access to the structure. The President said he had sought divine wisdom and resilience to continue serving Nigerians, adding that he made a similar request during an Umrah pilgrimage before the 2023 general election.
Tinubu was quoted as saying that he asked Allah to bless his Umrah before the 2023 election, that his prayer was answered, and that he had promised to return to give thanks.
Political backdrop
The development comes as political parties prepare for the January 16, 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections. Tinubu has already launched his re-election campaign in Kaduna on October 24.
The North is expected to be a significant battleground in the contest, with Atiku, a former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, seeking to challenge Tinubu’s support in the region.
Atiku’s Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu, had criticised the President’s pilgrimage, arguing that a second term could not be secured through religious declarations.
