The Allied People’s Movement (APM) has challenged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to disclose the actual purpose of his planned trip to Saudi Arabia, urging him to remain in Nigeria and address the hardship facing citizens.
The party questioned the timing of the President’s planned lesser Hajj pilgrimage, arguing that the country’s economic challenges require urgent attention from the Federal Government.
In a statement, APM National Publicity Secretary, Abubakar Yusuf, said the pilgrimage should not be used as a cover for activities unrelated to its spiritual purpose.
“Lesser Hajj involves prayer and supplications, but not an opportunity to do the unusual or as a cover to do other things,” Yusuf said.
The party accused Tinubu’s administration of worsening the economic difficulties faced by ordinary Nigerians, insisting that the President should concentrate on finding solutions to the problems confronting the country.
“You cannot pray for the problems you have inflicted on ordinary Nigerians, rather than staying here to resolve the heavily burdened, self-contrived problems of the citizens,” he said.
Yusuf also invoked the popular expression, “Andrew, check out,” urging the President not to leave the country while Nigerians continue to grapple with economic hardship.
“Let Mr President not behave like ‘Andrew’ of those days, saying President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should not check out,” he said.
On the 2027 presidential election, the APM spokesman questioned Tinubu’s electoral prospects, claiming that the President could struggle to secure the constitutionally required 25 per cent of votes in 12 selected states.
Yusuf expressed confidence that the party’s presidential candidate, Seyi Makinde, would challenge Tinubu in the next election, describing him as a hardworking and energetic politician capable of contesting the President’s influence in the South-West and beyond.
The APM’s remarks come amid growing political exchanges ahead of the 2027 general election, with opposition parties intensifying criticism of the Tinubu administration’s policies and approach to the country’s economic challenges.
