Nigeria’s President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has returned to Nigeria after spending over one month in France.
The aircraft that conveyed the former Lagos State governor touched down at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja at 04:30pm on Monday.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart, who was officially out of Nigeria since March 22, returned about one month before
his inauguration on May 29.
He returned with his wife, Senator Oluremi and were received by the Vice-President-elect, Kashim Shettima; Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila; amongst many other high-ranking members of the party.
The President-elect was received by a cheery crowd of supporters decked up in party paraphernalia.
Tinubu scored the highest votes of 8,794,726 votes in the Feb. 25 polls to defeat his closest rivals, Atiku Abubakar of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) who polled 6,984,520 votes, Peter Obi of Labour Party (LP) who got 6,101,533 votes and Rabiu Kwankwazo of New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) who also scored 1,496,687 votes
Prof Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), however declared Tinubu winner and President-elect.
Although his victory is currently being vigorously challenged at the tribunal by the two top contestants Atiku and Obi.
On March 22, after controversy surrounded his whereabouts, Tinubu’s spokesman, Tunde Rahman said his principal travelled to Paris in France to rest and observe the lesser Hajj but no photo of the President-elect was made public while he was away.
Tinubu’s health has been a subject of controversy in the last two years. In 2021, Tinubu was away in the United Kingdom for over three months where he underwent surgery and therapy for a knee injury.
He subsequently travelled to the UK and Paris few times in 2022.