Bola Tinubu at Chatham House in 2011. Image by Chatham House – CC-BY-SA
Bola Tinubu, Nigeria’s president-elect, returned to Abuja on Monday after spending several weeks overseas. His advisers stated he took a holiday following arduous campaigns.
His return comes ahead of the May 29 handover date, when he will be sworn in as Nigeria’s next president for the next four years.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Tinubu’s campaign spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, confirmed Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s anticipated homecoming.
Nigeria’s President-elect, according to Onanuga, was returning to Abuja after a well-deserved holiday in France.
Tinubu’s arrival at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja at 4:30 p.m. on Monday revealed that he had departed the country without previous public notice in March.
This decision sparked consternation and suspicion in public places, with many people wondering if he had gone for medical reasons.
After enquiries regarding Mr. Tinubu’s movements began, his media aids said that he had been to Paris, France, and the UK to relax and plan his transition program before his inauguration.
Mr. Tinubu returned to Nigeria with his wife, Senator Oluremi. They were welcomed by Vice President-elect Kashim Shettima, as well as other APC leaders and fans cheering for the former Lagos State governor.
Bola Tinubu defeated People’s Democratic Party’s Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party’s Peter Obi in the 2023 Nigerian general election to become Africa’s most populous nation’s president.