Atiku’s Aide Accuses Tinubu of Ethnic Bias Over Umrah Trip with Northern Governors

Phrank Shaibu, Special Assistant on Public Communications to African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, has accused President Bola Tinubu of using his Umrah trip to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, for political purposes.

Shaibu made the allegation during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, questioning the President’s decision to travel with Northern governors.

He argued that Tinubu’s choice of travelling companions was inconsistent with the ethnic composition of his cabinet, which he claimed was dominated by people from the South-West.

“President Tinubu travelled with only Northern governors to Umrah, meanwhile his cabinet is fortified with Yoruba people. That is the height of hypocrisy,” Shaibu said.

The ADC chieftain alleged that the President deliberately selected Northern governors to accompany him in an attempt to strengthen his political standing in the region.

He also claimed that Tinubu was responding to criticism that his administration favoured people from his Yoruba ethnic group. According to Shaibu, the Umrah trip was an attempt to create a different public impression about the government’s approach to national inclusion.

Shaibu argued that genuine inclusion should be reflected in the composition of the President’s cabinet and other areas of governance, rather than in the choice of officials accompanying him on a religious journey.

He urged Tinubu to avoid what he described as playing politics with religion and instead focus on governing in a way that promotes unity among Nigerians.

The allegations were made by Atiku’s aide during a television interview. The supplied account does not include a response from the Presidency or details of the full composition of the delegation that travelled with Tinubu.