For the May 29 inauguration, the United State President, Joe Biden, has announced a nine-member delegation to attend the inauguration of the “President-elect”, Bola Tinubu.
Even as Tinubu still faces strong challenges from opposition at the Presidential election tribunal amid a February 25 presidential election adjudged as highly compromised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
However, the Labour Party and the Peoples Democratic Party has criticised the US seemingly biased opinion on the contentious election, especially after the US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, last week put a call across to Tinubu.
Though, Tinubu, a former Lagos State governor will definitely be sworn in as the 16th President of Nigeria on May 29 at Eagle Square, Abuja and will be expected to represent at the nation’s seventh transition ceremony are past presidents, diplomats, heads of international organisations and prominent Nigerians and representatives of foreign governments and agencies.
It was noted that the inauguration programmes will begin on Thursday with the investiture of Tinubu with the Grand Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic and the Vice-President-elect, Kashim Shettima, as the Grand Commander of Order of the Niger.
Representatives of Nigeria’s traditional allies such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, China, Germany, Finland, Jamaica, Japan, Israel, Turkey and several others are expected at the high-profile event.
Ahead of the inauguration, Biden, in a statement released on the White House website on Monday night, announced a nine-member delegation for the event.
The delegation will be led by Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, Marcia L. Fudge.
See below some members of the Presidential Delegation:
Mr. David Greene, Chargé d’Affaires, a.i., U.S. Embassy Abuja
The Honorable Sydney Kamlager-Dove, United States Representative (D), California
The Honorable Marisa Lago, Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, U.S. Department of Commerce
General Michael E. Langley, Commander of U.S. Africa Command
The Honorable Enoh T. Ebong, Director, U.S. Trade and Development Agency, The Honorable Mary Catherine Phee, Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of African Affairs, U.S. Department of State, The Honorable Judd Devermont, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for African Affairs, National Security Council, The Honorable Monde Muyangwa, Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Africa, U.S. Agency for International Development.
To this end, the events lined up for the inauguration include a lecture titled, ‘Deepening Democracy for Integration and Development’ that would be delivered by former president of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, on May 27.
(Sahara Reporters)