Nigerian Government Confirms Tinubu's Inauguration as President Despite Ongoing Court Cases

 

The Nigerian government has announced that Bola Tinubu, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, will be inaugurated as the country's president on May 29, despite ongoing court cases challenging his victory in the presidential election. Information and Culture Minister Lai Mohammed stated that opposition parties have the right to contest the election outcome in court, but Tinubu will assume the presidency according to the constitution.

The Independent National Electoral Commission had previously declared Tinubu as the winner of the February 25 election, with 8,794,726 votes, ahead of Atiku Abubakar, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, who received 6,984,520 votes. The Labour Party's candidate, Peter Obi, came third with 6,101,533 votes.

However, members of the opposition have disputed the results, citing irregularities and claiming that they do not reflect the will of the majority of Nigerians. Both the PDP and the Labour Party, along with their respective candidates, have filed lawsuits contesting Tinubu's victory.

During a visit to the United Kingdom, Minister Mohammed told a gathering that Tinubu's inauguration would take place as scheduled, despite opposition calls for a rerun of the election. He also accused supporters of Peter Obi of undermining democracy by calling for a new vote. Additionally, Mohammed described a statement by Yusuf Baba-Ahmed, the Labour Party's vice-presidential candidate, as a treasonable felony, as he had suggested that Tinubu's presidency would bring an end to democracy in Nigeria.