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Nothing will stop inauguration of President-elect – FG

By Linus Aleke and Cross Udo, Abuja

The Federal Government says nothing will stall the inauguration of the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and his running mate, Senator Kashim Shetima, on May 29.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Chairman, Presidential Transition Council (PTC), Mr Boss Mustapha, said this yesterday at a world press conference to unveil programme of events for the 2023 presidential inauguration, in Abuja.

The SGF, who was responding to a question on whether the inauguration will still go on as planned, following protest and ongoing litigations, said this is not the first time we are having post-election litigations.

While adding that since the election of President Shehu Shagari, except 2015 elections, others went through the same ligations and non-never stopped the inauguration, he assured that God willing, the inauguration will hold seamlessly, as scheduled.

This came as the National Security Adviser (NSA) and Inauguration Committee Chairman on security and intelligence, Maj-Gen. Babagana Monguno (retd.), said that vehicular movement would be restricted in certain routes within the territory during the inauguration.

He noted that the major entrance and exit to Eagles Square, the venue of the inauguration will be restricted.

Noting that President Buhari, went up to Supreme Court three consecutive times to challenge the elections he lost before 2015, the SGF said that on all the occasions, the inauguration of the winners of those elections was never called off.

He said that the amended Electoral Act 2022, envisaged the current situation when it provided 240 days for post-election litigations, adding that the petition at the presidential election tribunal, is given 180 days, while, 60 days were earmarked for the appellate court.

“The transition on the 29th of May 2023, will be a great achievement for the largest democracy on the continent of Africa. This will make it 24 years of unbroken democratic experience in Nigeria, since the return of democracy on 29th of May 1999,” he said.

He noted that legislations are underway to legitimise the presidential transition council in Nigeria, saying that the transition council went to US and Kenya to understudy their transition process.

He said, “I am delighted to inform you that May 29, 2023, will mark the 7th consecutive democratic transition of power in Nigeria and on that day, we shall all be ushering in the 16th President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“The significance of the above is underscored by the desire of this administration to lay a solid foundation for seamless transition of power by institutionalising the process through legislation.

“In furtherance of discharging its functions, the PTC also interfaced with leading democratic nations including the United States of America and the Republic of Kenya, as part of its learning efforts to pick up useful lessons in line with international best practices.

“It is important to also state that these countries have specific legislations on Presidential Transition, some of which date back to 1963. We expect that a specific legislation on presidential transition in Nigeria would be passed soon.

“The PTC also built on the foundation laid by the Transition Technical Task Team (TTTT) which I inaugurated in December 2022. The Task Team is the product of a collaborative effort between the Federal Government and development partners including FCDO-PERL; NESG, NGF; KPMG; TBI and we remain grateful to these partners.”

 

*FG to honour Tinubu, Shettima with GCFR, GCON

He also listed the activities lined up for the inauguration ceremony to include, Regimental Dinner in honour of the Commander in Chief Armed Forces.

Other include, Valedictory Federal Executive Council Meeting, Investiture of the President-elect and Vice-President-elect with the National Honours of Grand Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (GCFR) and Grand Commander of Order of the Niger (GCON) respectively, and Handover of Transition Documents, Inauguration Lecture on the topic: Deepening Democracy for Integration and Development by His Excellency, Uhuru M. Kenyatta, former President of Kenya, amongst several others.

Recall that on February 2023, the President through Executive Order 14, approved the establishment of the Presidential Transition Council (PTC).

The 24-member Council inclusive of two representatives of the President-Elect was 1inaugurated on 14th February 2023.

*Labour to Onanuga: You’re making enemies for Tinubu

Meanwhile, the Organised Labour yesterday accused Mr Bayo Onanuga, the spokesman of the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, of crossing the red lines and winning more enemies for his principal through his outbursts.

The organised labour said it was dismayed by the views expressed by Onanuga, “a veteran of Information Management and Systems” in his recent interview with a national newspaper, where he allegedly berated the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) for what he described as their “open support for the Labour Party and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi” in the last election.

The NLC, in a statement by the Head of Information and Public Affairs, Benson Upah, said, “The latest joke is the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, aligning with some highly compromised civil society groups saying they are going to serve as the watchdog for the judiciary.”

According to the statement, Onanuga had on account of the above contended that the NLC and the TUC had lost the moral authority “to represent all Nigerian workers having fully embraced the Labour Party.”

It said, “We are dismayed by the views expressed by Bayo Onanuga, a veteran of Information Management and Systems who is presumed to know something about everything.

“However, since Onanuga elected not to know, it behoves upon us to educate him thus: The right of members of NLC and TUC to belong to lawful associations of their choice or to freely express themselves within the ambit of the law is guaranteed by our national constitution.

“Similarly, the right of workers to belong to a political party or political parties of their choice is lawful as per the judgement of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.”

Continuing, the NLC said, “The philosophy and essence of the TUC and NLC as expressed in  their vision  and mission statements and  objectives, are lawful, practical  protests and

struggles for actualisation of better wages, better working,  socio-economic and political conditions;

“In historical context, the Nigeria Labour Congress was part of the decolonisation struggle that enthroned independence in 1960;

“It similarly led the struggle against the military for restoration of democracy. It has been consistent in its criticism of governance irrespective of whoever is in power;

“Together with TUC, they have been in the vanguard of other popular struggles too numerous to recall here. All this did not strip them of the moral authority to speak for or represent workers or the larger Nigerian society until when they chose to criticise the 2023 electoral process which not a few entities including international observers have questioned.

“It is amazing that Bayo Onanuga did not speak about the loss of high moral ground when NLC and TUC queried the electoral processes of the previous elections which led to the setting up of the Justice Uwais Committee.

“On the international circuit, organised labour has had an illustrious relationship with political power. The Labour Party of Britain is about the most consistent and visible in recent history. Lula of Brazil has just staged a comeback on the platform of Labour. Closer home, we have had COSATU and ANC, and Fredrick Chiluba of Zambia. So what is wrong with unions in Nigeria identifying with political parties?”

 

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