FG assures smooth handover to Tinubu, Shettima

The Federal Government, on Tuesday, gave the assurance that the transition of power from the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, would be smooth and peaceful.

This was as the government said the refurbishment of offices for the President and Vice-President elect had been completed.

Addressing journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, the Chairman of the Transition Committee, Boss Mustapha, stressed that litigation would not stop the hand-over ceremony from taking place.

He said, “The committee has been active and the refurbishment of offices for the President and Vice-President elect has been completed.

“The facility at the Defence House is ready. Security personnel of the Department of State Services and the Nigerian Police Force have also been deployed to the President and Vice-President elect.

“Protocol officers have also been assigned to both the President-elect and Vice-President-elect from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Intelligence Agency.

“The transition process is on course and all efforts are being made to ensure that it is smooth. On May 29, there would be a peaceful formal transfer of power to the new President.”

Mustapha noted that the security sub-committee had been saddled with the responsibility to ensure no one truncates the hand-over.

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He said, “All litigation, whether resolved or not, will not in any way stop the process.  The President is not spending a day extra in office.  The security committee has the responsibility to ensure that nothing happens to truncate the transition process. Nigerians are very law-abiding people.

“Whoever has lost an election, there are provided avenues for those people to make whatever legal inquiry they want to make but the process would continue unabated.  We would not create another constitutional crisis. On May 29, the hand-over will take place.”

As part of the transition, Mustapha also said four members of the President-elect’s team would be joining the FG delegation to the Spring meeting of the World Bank.

He, however, revealed that the president-elect has nominated, Wale Edun and the governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu to be part of the transition committee.