“If You Had Faith, You Won’t Keep Fellow Muslim El-Rufai In Detention” — Atiku’s Aide Phrank Shaibu Questions Tinubu’s Sincerity After Umrah

Phrank Shaibu, the Special Assistant on Public Communications to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, has accused President Bola Tinubu of politicising his recent Umrah pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, suggesting that the trip could be presented as a spiritual endorsement of his re-election bid.

Shaibu said no political candidate could secure a second term through religious claims or perceived spiritual backing, insisting that pilgrimage should remain a private act of worship rather than a political campaign tool.

He made the remarks while commenting on Tinubu’s Umrah trip, questioning what he described as attempts to associate the President’s religious activities with his political ambition.

“It does look like the president’s got some spiritual nod there, some kind of Saudi Arabia endorsement for a re-election,” Shaibu said.

“No second term can be given to anybody via a spiritual claim.”

He argued that Umrah, the Islamic pilgrimage to Makkah, could be completed within a few hours, adding that Muslims were free to spend longer periods performing the religious rites without turning the exercise into a political spectacle.

“I know for a fact that ordinarily, Umrah is something that is a holy moment you can even undergo or undertake within three hours. If you want to do it for two, three days, not a problem,” he said.

Shaibu also compared Tinubu’s pilgrimage with the religious practices of Atiku, claiming that the former Vice-President had undertaken Umrah more than 32 times without using the trips for political publicity.

He said Atiku had also spent the entire 30 days of Ramadan in Saudi Arabia during the previous year’s fasting period, describing the former Vice-President’s religious activities as private.

“It is something that is private; we never politicised it. During the last Ramadan, he was there for the entire 30 days of Ramadan. It is nothing we politicise,” Shaibu added.

The Atiku aide subsequently questioned Tinubu’s sincerity of faith over the continued detention of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, arguing that the President’s treatment of a fellow Muslim contradicted the religious values he appeared to project.

“As for Bola Tinubu, does he have the sincerity of faith? If he had sincerity of faith, he would not keep a fellow Muslim, Nasir El-Rufai, in detention perpetually over minor political disagreement,” he said.

El-Rufai, a former ally of Tinubu, has faced legal and political troubles following a breakdown in relations with the President’s camp.