Buhari Prepares To Exit Office, Sets Up Transition Council

With exactly 109 days left before the expiration of his 8-year constitutional tenure, President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the establishment of a presidential transition council to manage the handover of power from his administration to whoever emerges president-elect on February 25.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, will lead the council scheduled for inauguration on February 14.

The Director of Information at the SGF’s office, Willie Bassey, who announced this in a statement on Thursday, said President Buhari also signed the Executive Order No. 14 of 2023 to give legal backing to the council as the body responsible for organizing future transitions of the Federal Government.

Bassey said, “A key feature of the Presidential Executive Order No. 14 of 2023 is the institutionalization of a legal framework that would enable a seamless transition of power from one Presidential Administration to another which is part of President Buhari’s legacy.”

The president also reserved two slots in the committee to be occupied by representatives of whoever emerges as president-elect.

Members of the Committee are:
i. Secretary to the Government of the Federation – Chairman
ii. Head of the Civil Service of the Federation
iii. Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice
iv. Permanent Secretaries from the following Ministries and Offices:
a. Defence
b. Interior
c. Finance, Budget and National Planning
d. Foreign Affairs
e. Information and Culture
f. Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA)
g. Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs
h. Cabinet Affairs Office, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF)
i. General Services Office, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF)
j. Economic and Political Affairs Office, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF)
k. State House
v. National Security Adviser
vi. Chief of Defence Staff
vii. Inspector-General of Police
viii. Director General, National Intelligence Agency
ix. Director General, State Security Services
x. Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court of Nigeria; and
xi. Two representatives, to be nominated by the President-elect