Inauguration: Jonathan out, Buhari in

*Ahmed, 28 others take oath of office today

*President-elect tours Aso-Rock, commends outgoing President

Before over 150million Nigerians, General Muhammadu Buhari will take oath of office today (May 29) as the fifth elected President of the country as President Goodluck Jonathan bows out.

Buhari is coming in as democratically elected leader barely 30 years after his military government was overthrown by General Ibrahim Gbadamosi Babangida in 1985.

The former despot defeated Jonathan in the keenly contested March 28 presidential polls, wherein the latter conceded; a development which had earned him commendations world-over.

Buhari polled 15.4 million votes, while Jonathan got 13.3million votes.

All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Candidate won the poll after contesting for the fourth time; 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015.

The Chief Judge of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mahmud Mohammed is expected to administer the oath on the incoming President at the inauguration ceremony scheduled to hold at Eagles Square in Abuja by 10am. In Kwara State, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed would be sworn-in for the second term in office at the Metropolitan Square along Asa-Dam Road, Ilorin.

Ahmed won his re-election having polled 295,832 votes to defeat his closest rival, Sen. Simeon Ajibola of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who polled 115,220 votes.

Equally, 28 other states governors elected during the April 11, 2015 governorship polls would take oath of office in their respective states.

Yesterday, Buhari toured the Presidential Villa in preparatory to his inauguration today, noting that outgoing President could have made things difficult by refusing to accept the outcome of the election, but rather choose the path of honour.

On a one-on-one, Jonathan took Buhari on a tour of the red carpet which houses the President’s office and other presidential meeting rooms as well as other parts of the Aso Rock.

He said Jonathan’s decision to make the telephone call to him changed the course of Nigeria’s history and earned him a place in the country’s history.

Speaking shortly after receiving the handover notes from Jonathan, at the council chambers of the presidential villa, Buhari said: “Since the telephone call you made you have changed the course of Nigeria’s political history.

“For that you have earned yourself a place in our history, for stabilising this system of multiparty democracy system and you have earned the respect of not only Nigerians but world leaders,” the president elect said.

“All the leaders that spoke to me and congratulated us for arriving at the point we arrived, mentioned this and I could sense relief in their voices that Nigeria has made it after all and this is largely owed to a situation.

“If you had attempted to make things difficult, you could have made things difficult and that would have been at the expense of lives of poor Nigerians, but you choose the part of honour and may God help all of us. Thank you very much, your Excellency.”

The president elect, however, said he could not comment on the handover notes handed him by outgoing President Jonathan until he reads and digests them.

Earlier, Jonathan, who had read a speech, reeled out some of the achievements of his administration, handed over an executive summary of the hand over notes to Buhari, alongside the report of the national conference held in 2014.

Presenting the second document, Jonathan noted that while the handover notes will help the incoming government to navigate, the confab report will help the incoming government smoothen grey areas in the polity.

“This will give you a mission statement of the commitment of this government for the past five years and the directions we are going that will help you to navigate,” Mr. Jonathan said.

“So is my pleasure on behalf of the Vice President, members of the executive council and other senior functionaries to formally hand over these handover notes to Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, the President elect who will assume office tomorrow. Congratulations.

“There is another document that I will hand over to you; to me this is more important than the handover notes. The handover notes are the activities of an administration, it shows where we started, where we are going, in some of the cases, where you’ll follow; in other cases, you may take other angle.

“But this is a document that was compiled by Nigerians, the report of the National conference 2014. We gathered almost 500 Nigerians from other works of life; they were not influenced by government in any way. And most of the recommendations are here, if it is followed most of the grey areas even in our politics will be smoothened out. Most of the areas where people complain bitterly; corruption, everything, this document deals with them. Some people here were members of that great body of about 500 eggheads.”

Describing the report as the baby of the nation, he said his administration “was unable to implement it because of the shortness of time” however “we have sent a copy to the National Assembly but is a document that we are very hopeful that your government will look into it and give it the attention it requires.”

Also, Jonathan said, “As I we hand over the reins of government, I believe that our nation is secured, our democracy is stable, and the future is bright. Let us all work together and with greater resolve, continue to build a stronger and more prosperous nation.”

The Vice President, Namadi Sambo, who was the chairman of the Federal Government’s transition committee, in his remarks, said when properly laid down, the handover note exercise will form part of “our political culture”.

He said the committee worked together painstakingly and in an atmosphere of cordiality. He thanked members of the committee for the time they put in to produce the documents.

The secretary to the government of the Federation, Pius Anyim, in his remarks said the committees had interfaced and the Federal Government committees had submitted the handover notes to the incoming administration.

The chairman of the All Progressives Congress’s transition committee, Ahmed Joda, confirmed the receipt of the handover notes from the federal government’s committee. He noted that the committee was still studying the result and it will be handed over to the President-elect after due study.