On Friday, President Muhammadu Buhari and his successor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, were seen together as they toured the Presidential Villa.
It was gathered that the purpose of the tour was to familiarize the incoming President with the operations of the State House, where he would oversee Nigeria’s affairs.
The inauguration, scheduled for May 29, 2023, is expected to take place at the Eagle Square in Abuja.
According to Daily Post, after attending the Jumat Prayers at the Mosque within the premises, both leaders took a walk around the villa vicinity. Earlier on Thursday, Vice President-elect Kashim Shettima had been given a tour of the Vice President’s wing of the Villa by outgoing Vice President Yemi Osinbajo as part of a familiarization process. During the tour, President Buhari and Tinubu briefly stopped at the Press Gallery, where journalists covering the State House usually gather.
Although reporters had hoped to ask a few questions, the President and his successor, along with a substantial entourage of Presidency officials and security personnel, listened to their guide, Ambassador Lawal Kazaure, at the Press Gallery, which adjoins the Council Chambers of the State House. Accompanying the President in showing the incoming President around the President’s wing of the State House were other senior officials, including Chief of Staff Professor Ibrahim Gambari and Permanent Secretary Umar Tijjani.
This development occurred just a day after the President bestowed the National Honours of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic and Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger upon Tinubu and Vice President-elect Kashim Shettima at the State House Banquet Hall. The exchange of documents between the leaders marked a significant step towards the official handover of power scheduled for Monday, May 29, 2023.
