Nigeria: Tinubu Inauguration - Govt Restricts Movement Around Eagle Square

The Federal Secretariat Complexes Phases I, II, III and Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be cordoned off from Friday.

The federal government has directed the restriction of movements around the Eagle Square, the venue of the inauguration parade, from 2 p.m. on Friday till Tuesday.

The government, in a circular issued by Ngozi Onwudiwe, a permanent secretary at the Head of the Civil Service, said the Federal Secretariat Complexes Phases I, II, III and Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be cordoned off by security operatives ahead of the ceremony.

President-elect Bola Tinubu and his vice, Kashim Shettima, will be sworn in on May 29. In the past few weeks, different branches of the military have been conducting drills ahead of the inauguration ceremony.

"As you may be aware, the Presidential Transition Council (PTC) has unveiled the activities marking the 2023 Presidential Inauguration Ceremony. The Inauguration Parade and Swearing-in of President-Elect, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which is the climax of the Programme will take place on Monday, 29th May 2023 at the Eagle Square, Central Business District, Abuja.

"In line with the security arrangements for the event, the Federal Secretariat Complexes Phases I, II, III and Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be cordoned off by security operatives from 2.00 p.m. on Friday, 26th May 2023 to Monday, 29th May, 2023

"Accordingly, officers and intending visitors to the affected areas will not be allowed access till Tuesday, 30th May 2023, when work will resume in earnest," the circular reads.

Possible protests

The victory of Mr Tinubu is being challenged at the presidential election petition court by three presidential candidates, including Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party.

Aside from the ongoing tribunal, there have been pockets of protests by some opposition members who believe that Mr Tinubu did not meet the constitutional requirement.

Mr Tinubu at the 25 February election scored 8,794,726 votes and secured the 25 per cent threshold of total votes in 29 states but failed to meet the threshold in the FCT.

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