As Nigeria approached May 29, 2023, when Bola Tinubu of the Radical General Assembly would be sworn in as President, the Presidential Inauguration Committee invited Peter Obi to the event.
SaharaReporters on Tuesday saw invitations from Obi of the Labor Party, who came third in the February 25 presidential election behind Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party.
According to the Independent National Election Commission, Tinubu got 8,794,726 votes, Atiku got 6,984,520 and Obi got 6,101,533 votes.
It was observed that Obi was assigned seat number 101 during the May 29 event, which as stated on the invitation also reads “Please handle it carefully”.
“The Presidential Inauguration Committee is honored to announce the inauguration of Bola A, Tinubu as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Kashim Shettima M. as Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on Monday, May 29, 2023,” the invitation reads.
Meanwhile, in March, Obi and the Labor Party applied to the Presidential Electoral Court challenging Tinubu’s election victory.
In the application, Obi asked the court to order INEC to present him with a certificate of return as the legally elected President of Nigeria instead of Tinubu.
INEC, Tinubu, Shettima, and APC are listed as respondents.
Obi, through his attorney, Livy Ozoukwu, told the court that Tinubu was ineligible to run for office and “was not duly elected by a lawful majority of votes cast at the time of the election.” nominate”. Part of the petition reads: “It was determined that the 2nd Defendant (Tinubu) failed to win a quarter of the vote in the presidential election in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja did not the right to be declared and returned as the winner of the presidential election of 25 February 2023.
“It can be determined that on the basis of the number of votes remaining (after counting the votes for Respondent 2), First Plaintiff received a lawful majority of the votes cast in the election and received no less than 25% of the votes cast in each of at least 2/3 of the federal states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, and meeting the constitutional requirements to be declared the winner of the election presidential election on February 25, 2023.”
The petitioners (Obi and LP) asked the court to annul the election and force the “first defendant (INEC) to hold a new election in which the second defendant (Tinubu), who the 3rd defendant (Shettima) and the 4th defendant (APC) ) are not allowed to participate”.
Last Thursday, SaharaReporters exclusively reported that Tinubu had announced the addition of 13 members to the Presidential Inaugural Committee.
Tinubu, in a letter to Federal Government Minister Boss Mustapha, obtained by SaharaReporters, announced a former senator representing Borno North and current vice-president of the country (North) of Borno North. The ruling All Peoples Progressive Congress (APC), Mr. Abubakar Kyari is the Coordinator and Director of Finance and Budget of the Committee.
Managing Director (Business Development) of Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM), Hon. Stella Okotete will be the head of the secretariat, planning, and oversight committee while Mr. Makinde Araoye, former APC Aspirational Governor from Ekiti State, will be the Organizer, Parade and Swornner for the drag event one week long.
APC presidential campaign spokesman Bayo Onanuga will act as head of communications and publicity, Whitecross Rivers State Health Commissioner and current national leader of the party In charge of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Dr. Betta Edu will coordinate the medical team. group for the inaugural committee.
Retired military leader and younger brother of late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, Col. Abdulazeez Yar’Adua will act as chief of the security and ceremonial parade for the inauguration alongside Barr. Zainab Buba Marwa, wife of the former Military Governor of Lagos State and current Executive Director of the Nigerian Drug Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, General Buba Marwa coordinated the pre-inauguration dinner and gala dinner for the committee.
Other committee members include Samira Saddik (Children’s Day), Abuh Andrew Abuh (Accommodation), Dr. Danladi Bako (Opening Lesson), Hajiya Hadiza Mohammed Kabir (Transportation and Logistics), Donald Wokoma (Protocol and Invitation), Bishop of Adegbite (religious service) and Imam Faud (Jumat service).
President-elect Tinubu initially forwarded the names of Kebbi State Governor Atiku Bagudu and former Lagos State Finance Commissioner Wale Edun to Boss Mustapha to be included as his representative on the transition committee.
