Agitation for stoppage of Swearing In unconstitutional

Olisa Agbakoba, a former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), says the swearing-in of President Elect Bola Tinubu as president is bound to happen on May 29.

Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the standard bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was declared as the winner of the February 25 presidential poll with 8,794,726 votes.

However, criticism has trailed the outcome of the election with many calling for a halt of the inauguration scheduled for May 29 until the presidential election petitions are determined.

In a statement he released and personally signed on Monday, Mr Agbakoba urged Nigerians to obey the rule of law, adding that there is no provision in the constitution that can stop the swearing-in of the President Elect and his Vice President Elect.

Mr Agbakoba a Senior Advocate of Nigeria said “It is important to state that the inauguration of Mr Bola Tinubu on 29 May 2023 is bound to happen under our constitutional process,” he said.

“While the election tribunal deals with the petitions there is no constitutional process to delay the inauguration on 29 May.

“We need to obey the rule of constitutionalism.”

The Vice Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 Election, Datti Baba-Ahmed, some Social Media pundits and the supporters of the party which came third in the Elections have been at the forefront of the agitation for the delay of the swearing in of the President Elec and His Vice President Elect on the premise that he did not meet the constitutional requirements to become Nigeria’s president.

Mr Agbakoba however said Nigerians should tow the path of Constitutionalism and wait for the Election Petition Tribunal to pronounce a verdict as against the current agitation whch he says has no basis in Law or Constitution.

Read Full Statement Below…

Amidst ongoing election tribunal petitions, it is crucial to emphasize that the inauguration of Mr. Bola Tinubu on May 29, 2023, is an event that will transpire within the bounds of our constitutional process.

As we navigate through the tribunal proceedings, it is important to recognize that there is no constitutional provision to delay the scheduled inauguration on the designated date of 29 May 2023.

In upholding the principles of constitutionalism, we must adhere to the rule of law and respect the established processes outlined in our constitution.

Respecting constitutional norms is fundamental to upholding the foundation of our democratic system.

The remedy is to speed up the election petition process to avoid inaugurating a president-elect when there is a pending petition.

– Olisa Agbakoba