Atiku aide slams Tinubu's Mecca trip with only Northern governors as hypocrisy
Atiku Abubakar's ADC aide Phrank Shaibu tore into President Tinubu's Umrah trip on Channels TV Monday, calling it "height of hypocrisy." Tinubu travelled to Mecca with only Northern governors while his cabinet, Shaibu noted, is dominated by Yoruba appointees.
Shaibu alleged the President deliberately chose Northern governors for the religious trip to counter "Yorubanisation" accusations and score political points in the North. "If Tinubu truly believes in inclusion, his cabinet should not be dominated by people from his own ethnic group," he said.
The criticism cuts to a recurring tension: Tinubu's government faces persistent claims of ethnic favouritism since taking office. Northern stakeholders have complained about exclusion from key appointments, while Southern critics note the concentration of power in the Southwest.
Shaibu urged the President to stop playing politics with religion and focus on governance that unites all Nigerians. The presidency has not yet responded to the specific allegations about the trip's composition.
With 2027 elections approaching, every presidential move gets scrutinised for electoral calculus. The Umrah trip—traditionally a private spiritual journey—becomes a stage for the same ethnic balancing act that has defined Nigerian politics for decades.
Does Tinubu's choice of travel companions signal genuine outreach to the North, or is it optics management ahead of the next election cycle?