By Annette Ikponmwonba | November 3, 2026
Key Points
· Presidential aide Ademola Oshodi has dismissed claims that President Tinubu’s Umrah to Saudi Arabia was meant to court northern voters ahead of 2027
· Oshodi, Senior Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs and Protocol, spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday
· He said the trip should be seen through a religious and national lens, not a regional one
· He noted that Tinubu is the first South-West leader to be given access to the Holy Kaaba
· Oshodi said the President has performed Umrah and Hajj several times and is seeking divine guidance for leadership and the coming election
· He urged other presidential candidates to also seek God, and said everything should not be politicised
Main Story
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Protocol, Ademola Oshodi, has dismissed claims that President Bola Tinubu’s Umrah pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia was aimed at courting northern voters ahead of the 2027 election. Oshodi spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, saying the trip should be viewed through a religious and national lens.
He said the President’s access to the Holy Kaaba was significant to Muslims across the country and not just a regional matter. “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’. 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,” he said.
Oshodi noted that Tinubu had performed the Umrah and the Hajj several times in his life, insisting the trip was not politically motivated. “He was given this rare privilege because he is the leader of the largest Muslim country in Africa. It is just a great opportunity. I don’t think we should really get carried away with the timing,” he said. Tinubu had announced the end of his visit in a post on X on Monday, saying he and his delegation were granted access to the Holy Kaaba, where they prayed and performed the Umrah.
The Issues
The row over the trip reflects how religion and politics overlap in Nigerian elections. With the 2027 campaign building, critics have questioned the timing of the pilgrimage, and some, like Dino Melaye, have used it to take political jabs at the President. The aide’s response is an attempt to move the conversation away from votes and toward the spiritual significance of the visit.
Oshodi’s argument that the trip is a “Muslim thing” rather than a northern one also speaks to Nigeria’s regional and religious sensitivities. By stressing that Tinubu is the first South-West leader granted this access, he is framing it as a point of pride for the South-West as well, rather than an outreach to one region, Still, the timing question is difficult to dismiss entirely. The claim that the visit was purely spiritual is the aide’s own position, and critics are likely to keep reading political meaning into a high-profile religious event so close to an election.
What’s Being Said
Oshodi pushed back against what he sees as excessive politicisation. “We can’t continue to politicise everything,” he said. He added that the President was seeking divine guidance to lead the country and succeed in the coming election, He also turned the argument toward Tinubu’s rivals. “I suggest other presidential candidates should also go out to seek God. Whether they have to go to Jerusalem or to Mecca themselves. We should not overemphasise somebody seeking God,” he said.
What’s Next
Attention will turn to Tinubu’s return to Nigeria and the resumption of his official and campaign activities. Opposition figures and commentators are likely to keep debating the timing and meaning of the pilgrimage, As the 2027 campaign intensifies, religion is expected to remain part of the political conversation, with the Presidency continuing to defend the visit as a spiritual exercise.
Bottom Line
The Presidency is insisting that Tinubu’s Umrah was about faith and national honour, not northern votes, but with the election approaching, critics are unlikely to stop questioning the political timing of the trip.
