President Muhammadu Buhari insists he will welcome President-elect Bola Tinubu to the State House on May 29, insisting that the handover date remains sacrosanct.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Buhari gave the assurance while exchanging Eid greetings in a phone call to mark the end of Ramadan with Tinubu. Both men thanked God for seeing the day and prayed for the stability and the well-being of the nation.
Buhari, who had earlier observed the Eid-el-Fitr prayers in Abuja, fielded questions from journalists, assuring that democracy has a bright future in Nigeria.
The President said his conviction was based on Nigerians’ disposition to defend democracy against all threats.
He said: “Nigerians appreciate the stability of democracy. The outcome of the 2023 election in which more than 10 governors failed to make it to the Senate sent a message that Nigerians know the power of their votes and how to use them.
“Nigerians cherish democracy. They have shown their love for it and will defend it against real or perceived threats.
“They will continue to vote one way or the other depending on their preferences.”
Buhari later hosted Federal Capital Territory (FCT) residents led by the FCT Minister Muhammad Bello, where he asked for pardon from those he might have hurt while discharging his duties as President. This year’s Sallah Homage marks Buhari’s final outing as President on Sallah Day, before handing over on May 29. He said he accepted all the complaints and criticisms in good stead, knowing it was part of the leadership he prayed and asked from God.
“God gave me an incredible opportunity to serve the country.
We are all humans, if I have hurt some people along the line of my service to the country, I ask that they pardon me,”
Buhari said. The President recounted his leadership roles in the country for more than 40 years.
Buhari had served variously as a military officer, military governor, minis-ter, and Head of State, and returning as a democratically- elected President in 2015.
He said the outcome of the general election was in line with his pledge to leave a legacy of free and fair elections.
The President also hosted the outgoing Ambassador of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to Nigeria, Luong Quoc Thinh, offering him best wishes in his next assignment.
He thanked the Socialist Republic of Vietnam for its support in areas of security and economic development, expressing the wish that bilateral relations between the two countries would continue to grow.
