Tinubu’s first trip to Mecca was sponsored by Atiku, says aide
By Ishaya Ibrahim
Frank Shaibu, a spokesman for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has claimed that his principal sponsored President Bola Tinubu’s first-ever trip to Mecca.
Shaibu made the claim during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday November 2.
He also questioned the motive behind Tinubu’s recent visit to Mecca for Umrah, a lesser pilgrimage undertaken by Muslims, suggesting that the trip was more politically motivated than the President’s stated intention to pray for Nigeria.
According to Shaibu, Umrah typically takes between three and six hours to complete. He, however, noted that Tinubu had spent more than three days in Mecca, alleging that there was more to the visit than its stated spiritual purpose.
Shaibu further claimed that Atiku was the first person to take Tinubu to Mecca because he was concerned about his spiritual well-being.
He added that Atiku had visited the holy land more than 30 times without publicising his trips, contrasting this with the attention surrounding Tinubu’s recent visit.
