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Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has demanded daily, date-stamped photographs and videos of President Bola Tinubu performing Umrah in Makkah, questioning the actual destination and purpose of the president’s announced pilgrimage.
Mr Atiku alleged that information available to him suggested that Tinubu might be using the pilgrimage as a cover to travel to France, rather than spending the duration of the trip in Saudi Arabia as Nigerians might expect.
The former vice president also questioned whether the trip was connected to the president’s health and a reported $20 billion loan request involving a French business partner.
Atiku’s position was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council.
He urged the Presidency to disclose Tinubu’s complete travel itinerary and provide verifiable information about his daily engagements throughout the trip.
According to Atiku, the Presidency should publish clear, current and date-stamped photographs and videos showing the president at the Kaaba in Makkah and participating in the religious rites associated with Umrah.
“If President Tinubu is truly travelling 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,” the statement said.
Atiku argued that Nigerians deserved evidence of the president’s presence in the holy city, rather than relying solely on official announcements about the purpose of the journey.
He said the demand was necessary to ensure transparency and establish whether the president’s actual movements were consistent with the reason given for the trip.
The former vice president further urged the Presidency to explain the president’s daily activities and the arrangements for funding the journey, describing an official trip presented as a mission for Nigeria as a matter of public interest.
Atiku raises questions over France trip
The ADC presidential campaign council also raised concerns about the possibility that Tinubu could make only a brief appearance in Makkah before proceeding to France.
Atiku claimed that credible intelligence available to him pointed to France as the president’s actual destination, although the statement did not provide supporting evidence for the allegation.
He called on the Presidency to address the claim and clarify whether France featured in the president’s itinerary.
The former vice president also questioned whether the journey had any connection with Tinubu’s health and a reported $20 billion loan request involving a French business partner.
However, the statement did not provide further details about the alleged loan request or establish any connection between the reported financial arrangement and the president’s travel plans.
Atiku urged the administration to respond directly to the concerns, insisting that Nigerians were entitled to clear explanations about the president’s movements and the purpose of official foreign trips.
The Presidency’s response to the allegations was not contained in the statement.
Calls for transparency
Atiku said Nigerians should be able to verify the president’s location and activities when a foreign trip is publicly presented as an undertaking intended to seek divine intervention for the country.
He maintained that the demand for daily photographic and video evidence was aimed at ensuring accountability over a journey undertaken in the name of Nigeria.
The former vice president also invoked the religious significance of the pilgrimage, cautioning against using the name of Almighty Allah in vain.
He said a spiritual mission undertaken on behalf of the nation should be approached with seriousness, sincerity and transparency.
Atiku added that he and other Nigerians would join the president in prayers for the country’s peace and progress.
He said the country’s security, economic challenges and general well-being made it important for public officials to demonstrate sincerity in their commitments to national development.
The former vice president called on the Presidency to answer the questions surrounding the trip plainly and provide the information Nigerians deserved.
Tinubu’s announced Umrah pilgrimage has thus become the subject of a political dispute, with Atiku demanding greater transparency over the president’s itinerary.
The allegations concerning France, the president’s health and the reported $20 billion loan request remain claims made by Atiku’s camp and were not independently substantiated in the statement.
The statement was signed by Shaibu on October 28, 2026.
