By Ola Modupe (LAGOS) –
Nigeria’s President-elect, Asíwájú Bola Tinubu, has travelled abroad to rest and plan his transition programme ahead of May 29, 2023 inauguration.
Tinubu, according to his media aide, Tunde Rahman, left the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja for Europe on Tuesday night “after a very exhaustive campaign and election season.”
“The President-elect decided to take a break after the hectic campaign and election season to rest in Paris and London, preparatory to going to Saudi Arabia for Umrah (Lesser Hajj) and the Ramadan Fasting that begins Thursday,” Mr. Rahman said in a statement this evening.
He added that while away, the President-elect would also use the opportunity to plan his transition programme.
“He has directed all the senior aides and campaign staff to also go and observe a short rest,” he further said.
The President-elect is expected back in the country soon, according to Rahman, who enjoined “the media to stop publishing rumours and unsubstantiated claims” to always seek clarifications from Tinubu media office.
Tinubu was declared winner of the February 18, 2023 presidential election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), having scored a total of 8,794,726 votes, the highest of all the candidates, thus meeting the first constitutional requirement to be declared the winner.
Chairman of the electoral body, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, who announced the final results in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, said the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate also scored over 25%of the votes cast in 30 states of the Federation.
Tinubu beat Atiku Abubakar of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), as well 15 other contestants.
