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President Bola Tinubu is set to embark on a trip from Abuja to Dakar, Senegal, today (Tuesday) to attend the inauguration of Senegal President-elect, Bassirou Faye.
This was disclosed 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.’
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Additionally, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, shared via @aonanuga1956 on X, stating, “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’s visit to Senegal marks his first trip to the country since assuming office, and he has been invited by the Senegalese government.
He will join other regional leaders to witness the inauguration at the Diamniadio Exhibition Centre on Tuesday, Ngelale said.
Accompanying the President on the trip will be the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, and other senior government officials.
Tinubu is expected to return to Nigeria following the conclusion of the inauguration.
Senegal is the fifth African country Tinubu has visited since assuming office 10 months ago, and it marks his 17th foreign destination.
In his congratulatory message to Faye last week, Tinubu emphasized the significance of successful elections in Senegal and Liberia for ECOWAS’ campaign for democracy in the West African sub-region.
Faye emerged as Senegal’s President-elect following an unprecedented victory in the presidential election held on Sunday, March 24, 2024.
The country’s electoral commission reported that over seven million people were registered to vote out of roughly 17 million Senegalese, with a voter turnout of over 61 per cent.
Candidates needed to secure more than 50 per cent of the votes to win.
Although the constitutional council is expected to announce the official results on April 3, preliminary results indicated that the opposition candidate, Faye, received about 53.7 per cent of the votes.
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, according to the electoral commission.
Ba, who had the backing of incumbent President Sall, conceded defeat based on the preliminary results.
Faye has expressed gratitude for the concession, emphasizing his commitment to lead with humility, combat corruption, and safeguard Senegal from foreign interference.
