The President-elect, Bola Tinubu, on Friday, May 26, joined President Muhammadu Buhari for the Juma’at prayers at the State House Mosque, as part of nationwide special prayers marking the inauguration of the incoming administration.
President Buhari had invited Tinubu to join him for the prayers, his last at the State House Mosque before he hands over power and takes his final bow from office on Monday, May 29, 2023.
The formal handover ceremonies started on Thursday with the investiture of the President-elect and the Vice President-elect, Kashim Shettima, with the highest national honours and the presentation of the handover documents to Tinubu.
Muslim prayers and interdenominational Christian service were scheduled for Friday and Sunday, respectively.
Speaking after observing the Juma’at prayers at the State House, Tinubu said he had come to join President Buhari to offer prayers to Allah to support him to carry out the task of governance successfully.
He said he would drink from the fountain of knowledge and wisdom of the Chief Imam of the State House Mosque, Sheikh Abdulwahid Abubakar Suleiman, who reminded leaders of the burden of trust in leadership.
Among those who observed the Juma’at at the State House were former Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun; the Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Buba Marwa; the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Shehu Garba, and some other presidential aides.