Tinubu Set For Trip To Mecca Ahead Of 2027 Elections, Accompanied By Five Govs, Two Ministers, Chief Of Staff, Others
Tinubu Set For Trip To Mecca Ahead Of 2027 Elections, Accompanied By Five Govs, Two Ministers, Chief Of Staff, Others
However, the Presidency has yet to publicly confirm the itinerary, the full composition of the delegation or the purpose of the reported visit.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is reportedly scheduled to depart Nigeria for Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday, October 29, 2026, for a six-day visit expected to end on November 3.
Information circulating about the planned trip indicates that his entourage will include five state governors, two ministers, the Chief of Staff to the President, the National Security Adviser (NSA) and several prominent businessmen.
However, the Presidency has yet to publicly confirm the itinerary, the full composition of the delegation or the purpose of the reported visit.
The planned trip comes amid claims of heightened security concerns in the region, including alleged Houthi attacks targeting airports and military installations in Saudi Arabia.
It also comes amid reports that the visit was intended to coincide with the Saudi investment summit popularly known as “Davos in the Desert”, which was reportedly cancelled last week over safety and security concerns.
The circumstances surrounding the reported cancellation of the summit and its possible implications for Tinubu’s planned visit remain unclear.
There have also been unverified suggestions that the reported trip to Mecca may be a cover for a private medical visit.
Tinubu’s Overseas Trips And Health Controversies
In September 2022, while campaigning for the presidency, Tinubu travelled to London. APC officials described the trip as an opportunity for rest, consultations and political meetings, while rumours circulated that he was receiving medical treatment.
The controversy intensified after Tinubu missed some political activities, including the signing of the National Peace Accord. His whereabouts became a subject of public discussion.
Tinubu subsequently released a video of himself exercising on a fitness bicycle in response to the speculation, declaring, “I am strong, I am healthy.”
Following his victory in the February 2023 presidential election, Tinubu travelled to France, a trip that also generated allegations that he had gone abroad for medical treatment.
Citing sources privy to the information, SaharaReporters reported that Tinubu was physically exhausted after the election campaign and had travelled to France for medical attention. The Presidency and his allies, however, characterised his overseas movements as private, political or work-related engagements.
In May 2023, weeks before his inauguration, Tinubu travelled to Europe again. His office said the trip was intended to allow him to refine transition plans, consult advisers and prepare to assume office.
However, sources cited in media reports alleged that the trip also involved medical consultations.
In June 2023, Tinubu attended the New Global Financing Pact Summit in Paris before proceeding to London for what the Presidency described as a private visit.
The trip renewed questions about whether his time abroad involved medical appointments. The Presidency rejected the allegations and maintained that the Paris visit was for official state business, while the London stay was private.
Tinubu’s subsequent foreign trips continued to attract similar scrutiny.
In January 2024, the Presidency announced that he would travel to Paris for a private visit and return to Nigeria in the first week of February. The announcement provided limited details about his planned activities, prompting opposition figures and commentators to question whether the trip was connected to his health.
In April and May 2024, Tinubu also spent additional time in France after official engagements in the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia. Critics questioned the extension of his stay.
A working holiday in Europe in October 2024, which included stops in the United Kingdom and France, similarly revived speculation about the President’s health.
In April 2025, the Presidency announced another working visit to Paris. Sowore alleged that the trip was for medical attention, but presidential adviser Daniel Bwala rejected the claim, saying, “The president did not go to see a doctor.”
The Presidency maintained that the visit was related to official engagements and government consultations.
President Tinubu’s late-2026 European trip drew significant criticism and public scrutiny regarding its duration, timing, and diplomatic optics.
President Tinubu departed Abuja on August 30, 2026. The Presidency originally framed the trip as an annual “working vacation” that would last roughly three weeks, splitting time between London, United Kingdom, and Paris, France.
On September 21, 2026, Special Adviser Bayo Onanuga announced that Tinubu had extended his vacation “by a few days”. Tinubu ultimately returned to Nigeria on September 29, 2026. Instead of the initially projected timeline, the trip stretched into a 28-day stay abroad.
The most controversial element of the trip centred around the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session in New York. While in Paris, Tinubu held a private meeting and dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace on September 18, 2026.
Shortly after their meeting, President Macron left France to attend the UNGA in New York. President Tinubu chose not to attend the UNGA personally, delegating Vice President Kashim Shettima to represent Nigeria and deliver the national statement instead.
Consequently, while Macron was away at the UN in the United States, Tinubu remained stationed at his vacation destination in Paris.
This specific overlap sparked intense domestic blowback from opposition parties and political commentators. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) and other critics publicly labelled the situation a “national disgrace” and a failure of “poor optics”.
Critics questioned why Nigeria’s head of state remained on a holiday in France when his host president had already left the country to conduct global diplomacy.
Commentators mockingly referred to Tinubu as the “Regent of France” and heavily criticised the administration’s defence that Tinubu could seamlessly “direct national affairs” remotely from a foreign capital.
The Presidency maintained throughout the trip that the vacation was a necessary period for the President to rest and review his administration’s mid-term reforms, while also engaging in investment discussions with French business executives like Vincent Bolloré.
However, the Presidency has consistently rejected claims that the President’s overseas trips were secretly arranged for medical treatment, offering explanations that include private visits, holidays, diplomatic engagements and official work.
