Buhari prepares for May 29, sets up transition council

• Gives two slots to successor
• 2023 elections: FG orders closure of varsities for three weeks
• Lecturers will swear to oath of neutrality, says INEC
• INEC laments 1,241 pre-election suits, seeks pro bono service from NBA

To demonstrate his readiness to vacate office on May 29, President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, set the ball rolling for his handover two weeks before conduct of the presidential election, when he approved the establishment of a Presidential Transition Council.

It will facilitate and manage the 2023 transition programme, the sixth edition since advent of the Fourth Republic in 1999.

This year’s handover ceremony will be the third time since 1999 that a transition ceremony at the Eagles Square, Abuja, will usher in an entirely new administration. Olusegun Obasanjo handed over to Umaru Yar’Adua in 2007 and Goodluck Jonathan, who became president after the demise of Yar’Adua in 2010, handed over to President Buhari in 2015.

President Buhari gave two slots to his successor in the Presidential Transition Council, which will see to the smooth handover after the election of a new president.

In a statement, yesterday, in Abuja, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, announced names of the members of the council, which he is to chair.

Members of the council are Head of the Civil Service of the Federation; Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice; National Security Adviser; Chief of Defence Staff; Inspector-General of Police; Director General, National Intelligence Agency; Director General, State Security Services and Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

They will be joined by the Permanent Secretaries from the ministries of Defence; Interior; Finance, Budget and National Planning; Foreign Affairs; Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs; Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and Information and Culture, including two representatives to be nominated by the President-elect.

The Council will be inaugurated by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation on Tuesday, February 14.

President Buhari also signed Executive Order No. 14 of 2023 for the facilitation and management of presidential transitions. A key feature of the Presidential Executive Order No. 14 of 2023 is the institutionalisation of a legal framework that would enable a seamless transition of power from one presidential administration to another, which is part of President Buhari’s legacy.

AHEAD of the elections, the Federal Government has ordered a closure of universities across the country to allow students participate in the general elections. The National Universities Commission (NUC) gave the directive in a letter addressed to Vice Chancellors of all universities and directors of inter-university centres.

The letter signed by NUC Deputy Executive Secretary (Administration), Chris Maiyaki, dated February 3, noted that the directive was based on the directive of the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu.

“ Vice-Chancellors of all Universities and Director/Chief Executive of Inter-University Centres are quite aware the general elections have been scheduled to hold on February 25, for the Presidential and National Assembly, and March 11, for Gubernatorial and State Assembly, respectively.

“In view of the foregoing and concerns expressed on the security of staff, students and property of our respective institutions, the Minister of Education, Adama Adamu, has, following extensive consultations with relevant security agencies, directed that all Universities and Inter-University Centres be shut down and academic activities be suspended between February 22 and March 14,” the letter stated.

MEANWHILE, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said university teachers that will be deployed for the elections as adhoc collation and returning officers will swear to an oath of neutrality. INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, stated this during a meeting with Vice Chancellors of Federal Universities at NUC office, yesterday, in Abuja.

According to Yakubu, the oath of neutrality was for all election staff in line with section 26 of the Electoral Act 2022.

According to Section 26 of the act, “all staff, electoral officers, presiding officers, returning officers and security officials taking part in the conduct of an election shall affirm or swear to an oath of loyalty and neutrality as in the Second Schedule, indicating that they will not accept bribe or gratification from any person, and shall perform their functions and discharge their duties impartially and in the interest of the Federal Republic of Nigeria without fear or favour.”

The INEC chairman, therefore, maintained that the Commission will not deploy any university teacher with obvious political learning for the elections.

“As in previous elections, we have requested each university for a specified number and category of academic staff as contained in my letter to the Vice Chancellors. I must warn that staff who are card-carrying members or have participated in partisan politics should not be nominated.

“Similarly, those who may not be involved in partisan politics but are known to have obvious political leanings should not be nominated. Furthermore, those who have been convicted of electoral malpractice must be excluded.

“The Commission will carefully scrutinise the list, which must be submitted confidentially in the manner prescribed by the Commission in my letter to the Vice Chancellors. Like all election duty personnel, each Collation and Returning Officer will swear to an oath of neutrality,” Yakubu stated.

Executive Secretary of NUC, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, urged lecturers that would be deployed for the elections to be professional in the discharge of their duties.

The electoral body has also lamented the increasing number of court cases challenging political parties primaries conducted for the nomination of candidates for the 2023 general elections. The Commission said it had been joined in 1,241 intra-party lawsuits in different courts of law as of February 6, 2023.

INEC chairman, Yakubu stated this when he played host to members of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), led by their President, Yakubu Maikyau, at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja yesterday.

Yakubu said the cases have nothing to do with election conducted by INEC but are litigations that arose from conduct of political parties primaries last year.

“Some of the cases have gone to the Federal High Court, some are before the Court of Appeal, and others are before the Supreme Court. Each time they go to court, they join the Commission and we have to engage either our own in-house lawyers or we transfer the cases out to external legal firms to represent the Commission. Out of these 1,241 cases, over 300 are right now before the Court of Appeal and 155 before the Supreme Court as at Monday this week,” he said.

Yakubu, therefore, requested the support of NBA in handling the cases.

“I know you have the capacity to do some of these cases, particularly pro bono service to the nation. So, we look forward to some suggestions and ideas from the Bar Association about how we can collaborate with you to ensure that these cases are handled and dealt with expeditiously,” he added.

Earlier, Maikyau assured that NBA would assist INEC in protecting its independence.

“We are solidly behind your administration and any attempt by anyone or any group of persons to intimidate or harass INEC in the discharge of its constitutional responsibility shall be resisted. Please, INEC Chairman just know that you can place a demand on us and it is our responsibility that will help secure the independence of INEC and integrity of the process,” he stated.