Tinubu to arrive back in Nigeria from France tomorrow evening and start preparing for May 29

PRESIDENT-elect Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is return to Nigeria tomorrow Monday April 24 from his lengthy sojourn abroad that has seen him go on holiday in France  where he says he is planning his transition programme ahead of the May 29 handover date.

On Saturday February 25, Nigerians went to the polls to elect a new president and the Independent National Election Commission (Inec) subsequently declared Asiwaju Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the winner. Among the other main gladiators in the contest were Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Governor Peter Obi of the Labour Party and former Kano State governor Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP).

Inec chairman Professor Mahmood Yakubu, who served as the returning officer for the presidential election, declared Asiwaju Tinubu the victor of the contest with 8,794,726 votes, defeating Alhaji Abubakar of the PDP, who came second with 6,984,520 votes and Governor Obi who came third with 6,101,533 votes. On May 29, President-elect Tinubu is going to be sworn-in in line with the dictates of Nigeria's constitution but the PDP and the Labour Party are challenging the elections in court.

After being declared winner, Asiwaju Tinubu left Nigeria for France on Tuesday, March 21 to rest and plan the transition programme ahead of his inauguration. A lot of question have been asked about his whereabouts and the state of his health but one of his loyalists said that the president-elect would arrive back in Nigeria on Monday evening, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

Last month, Asiwaju Tinubu's media office had explained that he travelled to France to rest and plan his transition programme after a very exhaustive election campaign. Apparently, he travelled to France and the UK and also performed the lesser hajj to Saudi Arabia before returning to Europe.

Asiwaju Tinubu's spokesman said: “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."

He added that 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 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.

Asiwaju Tinubu 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 but under a new law that has been passed, cabinets must be formed within 60 days.

Another major challenge facing Asiwaju Tinubu on his return is how to handle the removal of petrol subsidy, which is long overdue, without hurting the organised labour. Nigeria's labour unions had given stringent conditions for the removal of subsidy, so how the president-elect handles it without creating labour crisis is key.