By AFP
ABUJA: Long-time political kingmaker Bola Tinubu was sworn in as president of Nigeria on Monday, succeeding Muhammadu Buhari, a former general who stepped down after two terms in office.
The 71-year-old southerner took over from an 80-year-old northerner as Africa’s most populous nation faces a sea of economic troubles and security challenges.
“As president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria I will discharge my duties and perform my functions honestly to the best of my ability, faithfully and in accordance with the constitution,” Tinubu said in a live broadcast from the capital Abuja’s Eagle Square.
Foreign leaders and representatives present at the ceremony included presidents Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana as well as delegations from the US, Britain and China.
Kashim Shettima was sworn in as vice president, taking over from Yemi Osinbajo.
The ruling party duo were declared winners of the February 25 election, gaining the highest number of votes — 8.8 million — and picking up the required number of ballots across two-thirds of Nigeria’s states.
But Tinubu only garnered just over a third of the total vote, leaving him with a weak mandate, some analysts say.
The poor showing reflects “widespread disenchantment with his party’s record… along with misgivings about his personal eligibility for the office,” the International Crisis Group (ICG) think tank said in a note.
Dubbed a political “godfather,” Tinubu campaigned on the slogan “it’s my turn” to govern the country, Africa’s biggest economy.
He has touted his experience as Lagos governor from 1999 to 2007 — a period that, supporters say, modernised Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial hub.
ABUJA: Long-time political kingmaker Bola Tinubu was sworn in as president of Nigeria on Monday, succeeding Muhammadu Buhari, a former general who stepped down after two terms in office.
The 71-year-old southerner took over from an 80-year-old northerner as Africa’s most populous nation faces a sea of economic troubles and security challenges.
“As president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria I will discharge my duties and perform my functions honestly to the best of my ability, faithfully and in accordance with the constitution,” Tinubu said in a live broadcast from the capital Abuja’s Eagle Square.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
Foreign leaders and representatives present at the ceremony included presidents Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana as well as delegations from the US, Britain and China.
Kashim Shettima was sworn in as vice president, taking over from Yemi Osinbajo.
The ruling party duo were declared winners of the February 25 election, gaining the highest number of votes — 8.8 million — and picking up the required number of ballots across two-thirds of Nigeria’s states.
But Tinubu only garnered just over a third of the total vote, leaving him with a weak mandate, some analysts say.
The poor showing reflects “widespread disenchantment with his party’s record… along with misgivings about his personal eligibility for the office,” the International Crisis Group (ICG) think tank said in a note.
Dubbed a political “godfather,” Tinubu campaigned on the slogan “it’s my turn” to govern the country, Africa’s biggest economy.
He has touted his experience as Lagos governor from 1999 to 2007 — a period that, supporters say, modernised Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial hub.
