By Ghazali Ibrahim
Former Kogi West Senator, Dino Melaye, has challenged President Bola Tinubu to a Quranic recitation competition following the President’s recent pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.
Melaye issued the challenge on Monday in a post on his X account, saying he was ready to compete with Tinubu in citing verses from the Holy Quran immediately after the President returns to Nigeria.
“Now that Alhaji Bola Tinubu is in Umrah. Immediately he comes back, I challenge him to a Quranic citation competition with me. No one can mock God. SDM,” Melaye wrote.
The challenge comes amid public attention surrounding Tinubu’s spiritual activities in Saudi Arabia, where he performed Umrah, the lesser Hajj, and was granted access to pray inside the Holy Kaaba in Makkah.
The President had earlier spoken about his spiritual experience, saying he prayed for wisdom and resilience to continue serving Nigerians.
In a statement released on Monday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu also reflected on the religious significance of his visit, citing Surah Aal-Imran, verse 26 of the Quran, which speaks about Allah’s ultimate authority over power and sovereignty.
“There is no other God but Almighty Allah. He is the giver and the taker. He owns power and authority,” Tinubu said.
The President also expressed gratitude to Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for granting him and members of his delegation access to the sacred structure.
Melaye, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), did not provide further details about how or when the proposed Quranic citation competition would take place.
As of the time of filing this report, the Presidency had not publicly responded to the former senator’s challenge.
The development has added another political dimension to conversations surrounding Tinubu’s ongoing religious visit to Saudi Arabia.
