Tinubu returns to Nigeria Exactly 35 days to his inauguration on May 29

Tinubu returns to Nigeria

Exactly 35 days to his inauguration on May 29, the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, will arrive in Nigeria tomorrow, Monday April 24, after a one-month rest in France.

Tinubu left the country for France on Tuesday, March 21 to rest and plan the transition programme ahead of his inauguration on May 29.

One of his loyalists confirmed that the president-elect would arrive in the country on Monday evening, barring any unforeseen circumstances. “Asiwaju is coming back on Monday. He will arrive Monday evening.”

His Media Office had in a statement in March, explained that he travelled to France to rest and plan his transition programme after a very exhaustive campaign and election season.

The president-elect had left the country through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja.

According to the statement, 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.

The statement also 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 is expected back in the country soon. We enjoin the media to stop publishing rumours and unsubstantiated claims and to always seek clarifications from our office,” his media office reportedly said.

On his return to the country, the president-elect is expected to hit the ground running to address certain issues that would ensure effective take-off of his government on inauguration on May 29.

One of such issues is the zoning of National Assembly leadership which has polarised the two chambers of the parliament along regional and religious lines.

While the South-west will emerge as the new kingmaker, the current kingmaker, the North-west, is seeking compensation in the new dispensation for delivering the highest votes to the president-elect.

To this end, the incoming lawmakers from the zone have eyes on the Senate President, a development, which is bringing them on a collision with their colleagues from both the South-east, who are crying due to perceived marginalisation, and the South-south that lays the golden egg.

Both the South-east and South-south are laying claim to the Senate Presidency to ensure the emergence of a Christian Senate President and balance the same-faith presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The emergence of a Senate President from the North-west would create a Muslim Senate President, which would be unacceptable to the South-east and the South-south, given the fact that both the president-elect and the vice president-elect are Muslims.

The position of the Speaker of the House of Representatives is also in contention. Tinubu is expected to rally the leaders of his party and the members-elect of the two chambers of the National Assembly to resolve these issues by zoning the positions of the principal officers of the parliament to balance regional and religious interests.

The president-elect is also expected to use the next 35 days to assembly a competent team that will form his cabinet to ensure smooth takeoff after his inauguration.

It took President Muhammadu Buhari roughly six months to form a cabinet after his inauguration on May 29, 2015 and it is expected that Tinubu will not make the same