A presidential aide, Ademola Oshodi, has dismissed suggestions that President Bola Tinubu’s Umrah pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia was aimed at winning support in Northern Nigeria ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Oshodi, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Protocol, said the President’s visit should be viewed from a religious and national perspective rather than as an attempt to influence voters in a particular region.

He made the remarks on Monday while appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

The aide argued that the significance of Tinubu’s access to the Holy Kaaba, Islam’s most sacred structure, went beyond regional politics, saying Muslims across the country cherished the rare opportunity.

He said, “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. Again, it is not a political thing. The president has been to Umrah many times. In his lifetime, he has been to Hajj many times.

“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.”

“Instead, we should get carried away with the fact that he is seeking God’s guidance on how best he can lead Nigeria and for victory for his re-election coming up in January. We can’t continue to politicise everything.

“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.

Tinubu announced the conclusion of his visit to Saudi Arabia in a post on his X account on Monday, saying he and members of his delegation had been granted access to the Holy Kaaba to pray and had performed the Umrah pilgrimage.

The President departed Abuja for Saudi Arabia last Thursday, accompanied by some state governors, ministers and members of the business community.

Tinubu was granted access to the interior of the Holy Kaaba in Makkah during the visit, a privilege the Presidency said was authorised by Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

The Kaaba, a cube-shaped structure at the centre of the Grand Mosque in Makkah, is Islam’s most sacred site and the direction towards which Muslims face during their daily prayers. Access to its interior is restricted and is regarded as a rare privilege.

However, Tinubu was not the first Nigerian President to enter the Kaaba.

Former President Muhammadu Buhari was granted access during a visit to Saudi Arabia in 2016.

In a statement on Monday, the State House said Tinubu thanked King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for granting him and members of his delegation access to the structure.

The President also said he had sought divine wisdom and resilience to continue serving Nigerians, adding that he made a similar request during an Umrah pilgrimage before the 2023 general election.

“Before the 2023 election, I did the same thing. I asked Allah to bless my Umrah then, and He did. And I promised that I would come back to thank Him,” Tinubu was quoted as saying.

The development comes as political parties prepare for the January 16, 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections, with Tinubu already launching his re-election campaign in Kaduna on October 24.

The North is expected to be a significant battleground in the contest, with Atiku, a former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, seeking to challenge Tinubu’s support in the region.

Atiku’s Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu, had criticised the President’s pilgrimage, arguing that a second term could not be secured through religious declarations.