Rwandan President Arrives Nigeria Ahead of Tinubu’s Inauguration
President Paul Kagame has reportedly come in Nigeria to observe Bola Tinubu’s inauguration as president, according to the Rwandan Presidency.
On Monday, May 29, Tinubu will be sworn in as president, replacing the current president, Muhammadu Buhari, who has been in government for eight years.
On Sunday, the Rwandan Presidency tweeted, “President Kagame has arrived in Abuja, Nigeria, where he will attend the swearing-in ceremony of President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu @officialABAT alongside other Heads of State from around the world.”
The nine-member team scheduled to attend the inauguration has arrived in Abuja, according to media reports from earlier on Sunday.
The team arrived in Nigeria on Sunday and was greeted by the American mission there.
Greetings from Nigeria! Around 5 p.m. on Sunday, the U.S. Mission tweeted on its official account, “We are eager to meet the delegation from @POTUS Biden, led by @SecFudge from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, as they join us in Abuja for the inauguration of President-Elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The nine-person delegation to Tinubu’s inauguration, set for Monday, May 29, 2023, in Abuja, has been announced by U.S. President Joe Biden.
As a result of a presidential election on February 25 that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) deemed to be significantly tainted, Tinubu is still up against fierce opposition before the Presidential election tribunal.
The US’s allegedly skewed viewpoint on the disputed election has already drawn criticism from the Labour Party and the Peoples Democratic Party, particularly after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently phoned Tinubu on the phone.
Past presidents, diplomats, leaders of international organizations, well-known Nigerians, and officials of foreign governments and agencies are also anticipated at the nation’s seventh transition ceremony.
Marcia L. Fudge, secretary of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, will serve as the delegation’s leader.
The Honorable Sydney Kamlager-Dove, United States Representative (D), California; The Honorable Marisa Lago, Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, U.S. Department of Commerce; General Michael E. Langley, Commander of U.S. Africa Command; and The Honorable Enoh T. Ebong, Director, U.S. Trade and Development Agency are additional members of the Presidential Delegation.
Others include The Honorable Monde Muyangwa, Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Africa, U.S. Agency for International Development, The Honorable Judd Devermont, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for African Affairs, National Security Council, and The Honorable Mary Catherine Phee, Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of African Affairs, U.S. Department of State.
