Bola Tinubu sworn in as Nigerian president
Bola Tinubu
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Mr Bola Tinubu has been sworn in as the president of Africa’s most populous country after a contentious election. He took the oath of office in the Nigerian capital city of Abuja to succeed former president Muhammadu Buhari. Mr Tinubu’s pledge to unite the country is one of the key tasks of his new administration. The 71-year-old former governor of Lagos campaigned on a manifesto of “renewed hope” that prioritises the economic growth, employment.
Nigeria faces a multitude of overlapping crises, including deepening poverty, inequality, an entrenched mistrust in the state to deliver for ordinary people, as well as the challenge of delivering better state security infrastructure.
Mr Tinubu must also act quickly and decisively to tackle Nigeria’s security crises with the country already in a critical situation, analysts said. With several groups within the polity of Nigeria resolving to take care of their own security, a further dissolution of the state security apparatus is one of the chief threats to Nigerian sovereignty. Villagers in the Mangu district have resolved to make their own security arrangements in light of a massacre that claimed the lives of 100 people earlier in May.
Disputes
The fractious 2023 Nigerian election is still being contested in court by opposition parties.
Nigeria’s electoral process encountered several technology related problems that appeared to overwhelm the country’s communications network. These issues have led to the main opposition parties questioning the legitimacy of the election results, and called for the country’s presidential election to be scrapped. They allege that results showing the ruling party’s candidate in the lead had been manipulated.
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Opposition challenger Peter Obi had won the City of Lagos, where Tinubu had served as Governor. This win in what had previously been thought to be a APC stronghold was disputed by the ruling party.
Electoral officials rejected the criticism.
“Contrary to the insinuation by both parties, results emanating from the states point to a free, fair and credible process,” Inec said in response. “It is only fair for aggrieved parties to allow the conclusion of the process and approach the courts with their evidences to pursue their cases.”
Nigeria’s Supreme Court has never overturned the results of a presidential election, despite court challenges being very commonplace.
Legacy of President Buhari
President Buhari’s success in his term has been to dilute the influence and power of Islamic extremists in the northeast. Mr Buhari’s tenure was also marked by the building of key infrastructure, albeit with the assistance of foreign loans. The Nigerian economy is encumbered by record unemployment, high inflation – an 18-year high of 22.2%, and rising debt.
In his farewell address, the former president underscored the successful electoral process that restored power to the Nigerian electorate. In an unexpected gesture, Mr Buhari also apologised for some economic policies of his administration that caused suffering to Nigerians. Buhari commended the losing candidates for approaching the courts for redress but assured them that the results of the election were credible, and the process was free and fair.
