The media office of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has denied reports that he promised to prioritise the interests of the Yoruba ethnic group if elected as the president in 2027.

On Wednesday, several reports attributed the claim to a statement purportedly issued on Atiku’s behalf.

However, Paul Ibe, media adviser to the former presidential candidate, in a statement on Thursday, said the former vice president never engaged Johnson in any capacity, describing the report as false and misleading.

The Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia. Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al Sheikh passed away at 82. He was a prominent scholar and head of the Council of Senior Scholars and the Muslim World League’s Supreme Council. Leading key religious and fatwa institutions,

His funeral will be held in Riyadh, with absentee prayers across the Kingdom’s major mosques by order of King Salman.

The Royal Court called his death a significant loss to both Saudi Arabia and the Islamic world.

Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al Sheikh was respected globally as a leading Salafi religious authority who dedicated his life to guiding the Muslim Ummah.

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) wishes to inform the general public that its Chairman, Professor Abdullahi Saleh Usman, along with some Commissioners, and Secretary to the Commission Dr Mustapha M. Ali, will travel to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Monday, 22nd September 2025, to finalise agreements with relevant service providers in preparation for the

2026 Hajj.

This trip is in conformity with the operational calendar released by the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah (MoHU), which specifies that 6th – 23rd September 2025 (15-29 Safar 1447H) is the period for early contracting and payment for Mashair (camps).

The timeline similarly announced 23rd – 24th September 2025 (1-2 Rabi’ al-Awwal 1447H) as the deadline for contracting of essential services such as transportation and accommodation.

Meanwhile, the MoHU had set 12th October 2025 (20 Rabi’ al-Thani 1447H) as the deadline for the pilgrims’ registration announcement and submission of pilgrims’ data for grouping via the Nusuk platform.

Consequently, the Commission fixed 8th October 2025 as the deadline for States’ Muslim Pilgrims’ Welfare Boards, Agencies, and Commissions, as well as licensed Hajj Tour Operators, to remit Hajj fares for the 2026 Hajj exercise.

NAHCON urges all stakeholders to take these deadlines into cognisance in order to ensure seamless arrangements and a successful pilgrimage for Nigerian pilgrims.

Fatima Sanda Usara,

Deputy Director, Information and Public Relations, for Chairman CEO NAHCON