President Bola Tinubu has returned to Abuja after concluding his visit to Saudi Arabia, where he performed the Umrah (Lesser Hajj) in the holy city of Makkah.
Naija News reports that the President's aircraft landed in Abuja at about 8:53 p.m. on Wednesday.
He was received at the airport by the Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila; the Minister of Education; the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle; the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu; and other government officials.
During his visit to Saudi Arabia, Tinubu performed the Umrah pilgrimage and was granted access to the Holy Kaaba in Makkah.
Meanwhile, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Protocol, Ademola Oshodi, has dismissed suggestions that Tinubu's pilgrimage was aimed at securing political support from Northern voters ahead of the 2027 general election.
Oshodi made this clarification on Monday while speaking on Channels Television's Politics Today, insisting that the President's visit should be viewed from a religious and national perspective rather than a political one.
According to him, the President's access to the Holy Kaaba was significant to Muslims across Nigeria and should not be viewed as an attempt to appeal to a particular region.
"You know public opinion is far from being monolithic. One section of the population cannot come and say, 'This is for votes from the North'," he said.
He added that the development was significant to Nigerians across regional boundaries, noting that Tinubu was the first South-West leader to receive such an honour.
"I believe we should look at it from a different aspect. This is a huge significance for Nigeria. This is the first South-West leader to have been given that honour. How do the South-West Nigerians see that?
"So, it is not just a Northern or Southern thing. It is a Muslim thing. And the Muslims have cherished this opportunity," Oshodi stated.
The presidential aide further noted that Tinubu had performed both Umrah and Hajj several times in his lifetime, maintaining that his latest pilgrimage was not politically motivated.
No comments:
Post a Comment