Nigeria’s President-Elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has clarified that until his swearing-in on the 29th of May, he lacks the powers to action withdrawals or reimbursement of any expense from the national treasury following widespread mistranslation of his friendly exchange with Rivers Governor, Nyesom Wike, over repayment for certain projects executed by the state government.
Tinubu was in Port Harcourt yesterday to inaugurate a number of key projects completed by the Rivers Governor, including road infrastructure and a flyover constructed to ease traffic flow and facilitate easy movement of goods and people within and around the state.
In his address, Governor Wike, whose administration witnessed unprecedented investments in infrastructure, jocularly requested FG refunds for some of the federal projects executed by the state government to provide comfort for residents. Tinubu responded in the same spirit, triggering misleading headlines saying that the president-elect made a commitment to the state.
However, at the State Banquet in the evening, the president-elect cleared the air, urging reporters not to attach seriousness to his friendly banter with his political ally whose role was instrumental to his victory in the last presidential election.
“I am just the president-elect. I cannot authorize a dime in payment from the national treasury to anyone. Not yet. There can only be one president per time,” he said to applause from the audience.
Tinubu’s successful visit to Rivers and the rousing reception he received has generated fresh optimism about his coming administration, with many hailing him as the real unifier.