President Bola Tinubu will depart Abuja today (Tuesday) for Dakar, Senegal, to attend the inauguration of Senegal’s President-elect, Bassirou Faye.
The Presidency revealed this in a statement signed by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, titled ‘President Tinubu to attend the inauguration of Senegal’s President-elect Bassirou Faye.’
Also, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in a post on X via @aonanuga1956, said, “The inauguration of the 44-year-old President will take place at the Diamniadio Exhibition Centre. President Tinubu, who is the Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, will join other regional leaders to witness the inauguration.”
Tinubu is visiting the country for the first time since assuming office on the invitation of the Senegalese government.
“He will join other regional leaders to witness the inauguration at Diamniadio Exhibition Centre on Tuesday,” Ngelale said.
The President will be accompanied on the trip by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, and other senior government officials.
He is expected to return to Nigeria after the conclusion of the inauguration.
Senegal is the fifth African country Tinubu has visited since assuming office 10 months ago. It is his 17th foreign destination.
While congratulating Faye last week on his victory, Tinubu said the successful elections in Senegal and Liberia had boosted ECOWAS campaign for democracy in the West African sub-region.
Tinubu, who is ECOWAS Chairman, said, “President-elect Faye comes with great promise and a sterling record, wishing him success as he takes on this important job of leading the good people of Senegal.”
Faye emerged as Senegal’s President-elect after an unprecedented victory at the presidential election on Sunday, March 24, 2024.
The country’s electoral commission said more than seven million people were registered to vote out of roughly 17 million Senegalese. The civil society observer group known as COSCE revealed that voter turnout was over 61 per cent.
To win, candidates had to secure more than 50 per cent of the votes.
Although the Senegalese News Agency, APS, said the constitutional council would announce the results on April 3, preliminary results showed the opposition candidate, Faye polling about 53.7 per cent.
Also, former Prime Minister and ruling coalition’s candidate, Amadou Ba, secured 36.2 per cent based on counts from 90 per cent of polling stations in the first-round vote, the electoral commission said.
Ba who had the backing of incumbent President Sall, conceded defeat based on the preliminary results.
Faye has since welcomed the move saying, “I salute the approach of the other candidates who, without exception, have honoured a very Senegalese tradition without even waiting for the official results to be announced by the authorised state bodies.”
A protégé of opposition leader, Ousmane Sonko, Faye has vowed to lead with humility, fight corruption and protect Senegal from corruption and interference from foreign powers.