The order is coming hours after DSS officials stormed the EFCC office located on Awolowo Road in the early hours of Tuesday, preventing officials of the anti-graft agency from accessing their workplace.

Although the service had earlier debunked the report as “not true,” spokesperson for the Service, Peter Afunanya confirmed to The PUNCH via a WhatsApp message that the DSS denied its operatives entry into their Lagos office.

Following the heightened tension between the two agencies, the president through his media officer, Tunde Rahman, issued a statement at the State House Presidential Villa on Tuesday evening instructing the DSS to evacuate the premises immediately.

The statement partly read, “The President gave the directive when reports that DSS officials stormed the EFCC office located on Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos on Tuesday, preventing officials of the anti-graft agency from accessing their workplace, was brought to his attention.

“The President said if there were issues between the two important agencies of government, they would be resolved amicably.”

Tinubu, who was declared the winner of the February 25 presidential election, will be sworn in by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Olukayode Ariwoola, at Eagle Square, Abuja.

Though the victory of the ex-Lagos State governor is being challenged by Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, the Peoples Democratic Party and Labour Party standard bearers, respectively, at the Presidential Election Petition Court, he would nevertheless take over from the outgoing President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), in a glamorous ceremony which would be witnessed by over 300 guests.

The ceremony will also be broadcast live to millions of Nigerians at home and abroad.

In preparation for the inauguration, the authorities have tightened security in the Federal Capital Territory with the deployments of soldiers, policemen, undercover operatives and counter-terrorism units at strategic locations and public facilities, including hotels where invited guests were accommodated.

Also, the military and the police have been conducting aerial surveillance of the FCT with helicopters flying overhead.

Ahead of the transition of power to the president-elect, scores of representatives of foreign governments, diplomats and heads of international organisations began arriving in Abuja, on Sunday.

Against the backdrop of the challenges facing the country, economic players, including the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association, Nigerian Economic Summit Group and the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria admonished the former Lagos State governor to tackle inflation, stabilise the exchange rate and ensure the removal of fuel subsidy within his first 100 days in office.

the Director General of NECA, Mr Wale Oyerinde, said his group expected Tinubu to put together his economic team within the first 100 days.

He noted that the incoming administration should be able to create a blueprint for reviving the refineries and removing fuel subsidies.

Oyerinde said, “We expect that they would have shared definitive economic philosophy that they will use to run the country a definite economic philosophy.

“Within the first 100 days, they must come up with a blueprint for reviving the refineries and removing fuel subsidies. In the first 100 days, we believe they must also have a blueprint to deal with all revenue leakages including oil theft.”

The NEC Director-General further said the new administration must build a consensus around its economic philosophy and get the buy-in of all Nigerians.

Oyerinde highlighted the critical roles of the private sector in moving the nation forward, stressing that the next administration must define the sector’s roles in its economic plan.

He said, “We expect that in the first 100 days, they would have built consensus around their economic philosophy that will take Nigeria out of the hole that we find ourselves in. But the first thing is that the economic team that drives the fiscal and monetary policy must be in place in the first 100 days.

“They must have formed their administration and come up with a blueprint for the economic revival. They must build consensus around their economic program so that Nigerians and all stakeholders can also support it. And they must also share a clear role of the private sector in their administration.”

A facilitator with the NESG, Dr Ikenna Nwaosu, who observed that Tinubu was yet to unfold his economic blueprints, urged him to unite Nigerians.

He noted, “The man has not unfolded any economic blueprint, but the most important part is that he has to unite the country. As he rises above the partisan nature of politics and checks the inflation and exchange rate, they are rising too fast.

‘’The inflation rate, exchange rate, debt to GDP rate and oil subsidy; he can handle them in the first six months. These are the main issues, every other thing is additional.”

“This is the gallery where you will be meeting members of the press,” Buhari told Tinubu as both men emerged from the waiting room of the Aso Chambers.  This came barely 24 hours after the President conferred upon Tinubu the highest national honour of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic and Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger on Vice President-elect, Kashim Shettima, at the State House Banquet Hall.

On Thursday, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo took Shettima on a tour of the VP wing of the State House. Both leaders exchanged documents ahead of the official handover of power on Monday, May 29, 2023.  However, the President-elect prayed for good health to lead the country.

May God help me to carry the burden, to face the challenge, and keep me in good health to fulfill the dream and aspiration of millions of our people,” Tinubu said after observing the Friday Jumaat prayers at the Presidential Villa mosque and touring the premises with President Buhari

Tinubu said his goal was to, amongst other things, “kill corruption”.

“That is a covenant that you have to really pursue. Other than that, why are you in politics? My own is not identity politics. It’s not hunger or poverty politics. I have followed a man who has integrity, character, and courage to say ‘Nigerians we need to change and change we have to. Change our mindset, kill corruption in our society,” he added.

Tinubu urged Nigerians to support the All Progressives Congress’s change agenda. He also spoke on his ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda to revamp the economy, tackle security and poverty reduction, and what generally Nigerians should expect of him.

Speaking in an interview with BBC Africa, monitored by our correspondent on Tuesday, Tinubu stated that since he left office in 2007, he was yet to get any government appointment or contract.

He said those behind the allegation are only envious of him just as he revealed that he got his wealth through investments in real estate which he inherited and turned their values around.

On his campaign, he said, “Things are going very well. I’m very confident that this election will be free and fair. I’m the front runner and that is why I’m getting many arrows.”

Talking about his priorities if sworn in as President, he said, “Security and economic recovery to accelerated development, to get Nigerians employed and get inflation down. You know, monetary policy needs to be changed. Subsidy needs to be decided upon and then removed.”

On what he will do about the insecurity in the country, Tinubu said it had reduced, just as he commended the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), for that.

He said, “It’s reduced. I will defend him for that. Then, 17 local governments and about four states where we have flags of foreign jihadists in Nigeria. That is no more. That is long gone.

To start chaos is easy. To bring normalcy and redecorate is more difficult.

“Here we are, Buhari has degraded, but not completely eliminated ISWAP. They will talk briefly about lethal weapons, ammunition and technological equipment that could have helped accelerate the cleanup of those.

“The West is yet to feel comfortable enough with a Buhari administration to sell us the arms and technology necessary.”

Asked if things would be different with the West under his administration, Tinubu said, “It could change, it might not change. But we have to look at, you know, alternatives. And those are the mass recruitment of individuals in a volunteer army to really clean up.”

Asked why Nigerians should vote for him despite how they feel about the Buhari regime, he said, “Because I’m different. I’m Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I have governed Lagos. I built a modern state that could be a country on its own.

“I’ve led an administration that was so prudent, from N600 million internally generated revenue to N5 billion a month. That’s a record. Nobody else can brag about that.

“I’ve treated and tamed the Atlantic Ocean surge in Nigeria that would have perished many people in Lagos. The infrastructural renewal in Lagos is excellent. I have continuity in Lagos.

Buhari has done his best. I can’t run away from him being my friend, my leader in the party. I will not.”

The former governor was then asked if Nigerians had the right to know where their next president got his wealth.

“Are they enemies of wealth? If they are not enemies of wealth, investments do yield.

“I have an example of Warren Buffet, one of the richest in America and the world. He started with stock buying and brokerages.

“I inherited great real estate. I turned the values around. I’m not denying my wealth. I have not been… I was the most investigated, the most accused governor in opposition up to, you know, for eight years and up to 2007.

“And since I left the office, I’m still there, I’ve not taken any government appointment, no government contract.”

On allegations that he was getting a share of the revenues Lagos was getting, he said, “Hey, excuse me, share, what? Have they proven it? The World Bank and IMF have investigated the records in Lagos State. What’s wrong with them? It’s envy, envy, envy.” In response to choosing between the other candidates if he was not contesting in the presidential race, he said, “None, because they are not as competent as any other person out there. They have no track record. None of them is qualified except me.”

The duo spoke while presenting his action plan before the business community and the organised private sector in Lagos on Tuesday.

The business community was fully represented by the President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote; Chairman of Zenith Bank, Jim Ovia; the Chairman of UBA, Tony Elumelu; former Chief Executive of Access Bank, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede; Group Chief Executive of Access Bank, Herbert Wigwe, and other business leaders representing sectoral groups such as agriculture, oil and gas, trade, manufacturing, creative sector, among others.

The town hall session was attended by the APC vice presidential candidate, Senator Kashim Shettima; Governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos); Simon Lalong (Plateau); Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi); Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq (Kwara), Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa); Dapo Abiodun (Ogun); Adegboyega Oyetola (Osun); Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna); and Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano) as well as other APC leaders and chieftains.

Speaking at the meeting, the former governor of Lagos said if elected president in 2023, his administration will hit a double-figure gross domestic product.

According to a statement by the Tinubu Media Office, signed by Tunde Rahman, the presidential candidate said attaining the feat was possible having achieved similar economic success when he governed Lagos State.

He called for the support of the Lagos business community, stating that such was needed for a viable economy.

He said, “Nigeria stands at the threshold between indifference and greatness, prosperity and poverty, the future and the past. The door is ajar. Together, let us open it so that we may cross over to the better side and secure for this beloved nation its finer destiny.

“The productive and beneficial things we seek do not lie in the sole domain of one sector. They reside in the cooperation between the government and the private sector. I see no conflict between the business community and the government. Yet, with equal conviction, I believe the private sector and government should constantly be at war.

“But they wage this battle, not as enemies. They must stand as inseparable allies combating the mutual enemies of scarcity, underdevelopment, joblessness and the fear these bad things breed.

“The pragmatic problem solving and teamwork that improved Lagos, I want to bring to this nation. I ask your help as the task ahead is doable but also difficult.”

Also, Tinubu and Shettima took a swipe at the presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar and the Labour Party, Peter Obi, whom they said lacked the antecedent and experience to lead the country.

He said, “Democracy doesn’t mean that everything is going to be perfect but on the higher percentage, perfection is achieved at the right at which we work for the highest population of the country or the environment, local governments would continue to see what constitutionally can be done to strengthen the local governments.

“Then we will look at the qualifications and achievements of an individual during the processes, but don’t forget, we are in a multi-party democracy so we will have those mistakes once the wrong party gets in and you have one of the candidates who wants to be a president who is fond of saying ‘when you do the right thing.’ How to solve his problem is by when we do the right. What is the right thing? They fool you with foolish statistics and lies. Don’t get me into the mood of campaign.

In his remarks, Shettima said, “This man seated here is one of the most demonised Nigerians but take it from me, the true hallmark of leadership is not the ability to carry a bag of cement. We are not preparing for the Olympics, but an institution that relies on a field of ideas and tracks records and shows me, I dare to challenge you, show me among the people vying for the presidency of this country who has the experience, track record and of course, who has the intellect to catapult this nation to a higher pedestal.

“Leadership goes beyond glamourising poverty. We won’t glamourise poverty, we tackle poverty. I won’t tell you I have two pairs of shoes or I have a single wristwatch. Leadership goes beyond spewing dubious statistics or showcasing a mediocre performance as the governor of Anambra State. I respect Atiku Abubakar, but leadership goes beyond high-scale antics. A man who can’t unite his party, I wonder how he can unite a country.

“We are talking about artificial intelligence or big data or nanotechnology, but the training that an elder statesman got from Kano School of Hygiene was that of wole wole. The ability to sell bottled water doesn’t make one an expert on the economy. My parting shot is that Atiku Abubakar is not Abraham Lincoln; he is Ralia Odinga and come May next year, we are going to permanently retire the political tourists to Dubai.”

Tinubu also noted that there is a need for the government to cooperate with the organised private sector to revive the industry sector and tackle other forms of underdevelopment.

He added, “There is a need to revive our industries, create minor and major industrial zones to make it grow from top to bottom, foster productive excellence in light manufacturing and digital economy.

“There is no industrialisation that is possible without a constant supply of power and power is the most important discovery of humanity in the last 1,000 years. If you have an answer contrary to that, show me. We have wind, water, and all sorts of energy sources that we can explore and you will discover that we need long-term funding.”

However, the Chief Spokesperson of the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council, Dr Yunusa Tanko, expressed disappointment at the statements credited to both Tinubu and his running mate.

He said, “As far as the Labour Party is concerned, we cannot have a repetition of another eight years of an incapacitated president. We cannot afford to have somebody that will be going out of the country for a medical check-up every fortnight. It cannot be possible.

“We cannot afford to have someone full of lies and criminal records in power. Nigerians cannot afford to have the same Old Order again. They (APC) are just afraid that we have a capable, consistent, and hardworking individual on our side.”

The Chairman, House Committee on Information, Security and Strategy, Setonji David, made this known in a statement on Wednesday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that an online media had reported that the assembly hurriedly passed a bill to set up Sharia courts, paving way for Sharia law in Lagos state which had been signed into law by the current state governor.

David, representing Badagry II, said the report was a mere figment of the imagination of the writer and a total lie from the pit of hell.

The spokesperson said no informed person should believe such lies against the assembly that was above the common standard of excellence, adding that the news was far from the reality.

He said: “The attention of the Lagos state house of assembly has been drawn to a malicious and unfounded report making the rounds on social media.

“That the assembly has secretly passed a sharia law in a deal to get Northern support for Tinubu, the APC presidential candidate.

“We will not have dignified the writer of this hate speech but in order to set the records straight, this is a mere figment of the imagination of the writer and a total lie from the pit of hell.

“No informed person should believe this lie against the assembly that is above the common standard of excellence. The news is far from reality.

“Some people are just mischievous. Spreading all sorts of untrue stuff. Is it possible to pass a law under cover?

“The process of law making is universal and very open. You cannot pass a law without subjecting it to public hearing in Lagos state.”

David urged residents of the state and Nigerians as a whole to take the peddlers of this unfounded report as uninformed, and uneducated people who needed to be schooled about the law making process.

He said Tinubu was a fast selling product across the country and does not need any law from the state to further endear him to all Nigerians.

The lawmaker said by the special grace of God, Tinubu would emerge winner of the 2023 presidential election to the shame of purveyors of the hate news.

The governor, who was the former Chairman of the APC Caretaker Committee, described the Tinubu-Shettima ticket as a victory ticket for the party.

Buni, in a statement on Monday by his spokesman, Mamman Mohammed, said the choice of  Shettima, would enrich the fortunes of the party with bright chances of victory in the 2023 general election.

He said, “The combination of Tinubu and Shettima makes the party stronger to approach the presidential election next year with a clear victory.”

Governor Buni said the APC presidential and vice-presidential candidates were people with bountiful wealth of experience in governance to make Nigeria great.

“Their administrative competence, skills and success stories have adequately prepared them for the leadership of the country.

Nigeria has a lot to gain from the Tinubu-Shettima administration when elected into office,” he said.

The governor advised that at this critical moment of a dwindling world economy, Nigeria needs the excellent combination and experience of Tinubu and Shettima.

He charged the party to remain united and focused for a successful outing in 2023.

The Yobe State Governor noted that Tinubu and Shettima had great respect for all religions, making the Muslim-Muslim ticket more acceptable because, they were both religious tolerant, working and living with people from different faiths.

Governor Buni said, “With a population of over 40 million members, the APC will by the grace of God, win the 2023 elections fairly and squarely.”

Tinubu would conclude consultations with the party’s stakeholders, including governors on Tuesday and would announce his running mate on Wednesday.

It was also learnt that the APC governors and other stakeholders had agreed that the North-East should produce the vice-presidential candidate of the party.

Sunday PUNCH had reported that Tinubu, who emerged the APC presidential candidate at the party’s primary on Wednesday, might settle for a Muslim as his running mate.

According to the report, those who are being tipped for the slot include the Kebbi State Governor, Atiku Bagudu; a former Governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima; the Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje and the Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong.

It was gathered that the North-East might produce the running mate, while the position of the Senate President would go to the South-East and North-West would produce the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

An associate of Tinubu and Lagos Vice Chairman (Central) of the APC, Hakeem Bamgbala, in an interview with The PUNCH, confirmed that the presidential candidate would unveil his running mate in the next two or three days.

Bamigbala also said the party had not decided on the issue of a Muslim running mate for Tinubu.

He stated, “The issue of this Muslim-Muslim ticket is still speculation till the next two to three days (Wednesday) when the party will unveil Asiwaju’s running mate.

“It is not enough for anybody to just come out to say the APC is fielding a Muslim VP. Nobody has mentioned that. We are still looking at a credible northerner who can be a Christian too to pair with Tinubu,” he said.

But when contacted, the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Felix Morka, stated, “We are not in any kind of time competition with the PDP to make that announcement.

“If the PDP chooses to make their announcement on Tuesday, that does not impose any obligation on the APC or any other party for that matter to make a similar announcement by that date,” he said.

According to him, the process of deciding the candidate is not a unilateral decision.

“Again, the choice of vice president will be made through consultation with the party and relevant stakeholders. Nigerians should be patient as they decide on the candidate and the part of the country he is coming from,” he stated.

The APC publicity secretary also confirmed that there were reconciliatory moves by Tinubu to mend fences with South-East political leaders.

He stated, “I am sure you know that since the convention, the presidential candidate of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has been on the road reaching out to and meeting all the aspirants and co-contestants at the primary. And in doing so, he is rallying them back to the base in readiness for the upcoming campaign,” he said.

The APC national Leader made this pledge on Monday, where he visited Owo in Ondo State where over 30 Catholic church worshippers were killed by gunmen.

Recall that armed men yet-to-be-identified had on Sunday, invaded the St Francis Catholic Church in Owo, and opened fire on worshipers.

Speaking at the Palace of Olowo, Oba Ajibade Gbadegesin Ogunoye during a condolence visit in the company of Akeredolu, Tinubu condemned the violent attack on innocent worshippers.

He described the attack as an evil that must be defeated, saying “there is no place for such hatred and wanton taking of innocent lives” in our country.

According to him, his exploits as the governor of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007 made him qualified to become the party’s flagbearer.

The Director of Media and Communication of the Tinubu Campaign Organisation, Bayo Onanuga stated this in a statement on Tuesday.

According to the statement, Tinubu had appeared before the screening committee of the APC on Monday to defend his presidential ambition in the presence of a committee led by a former national chairman of the APC, John Oyegun, at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja.

Onanuga said, “He (Tinubu) confidently told the panel why he is qualified to fly the flag of APC as its presidential candidate.

“He cited his success as governor of Lagos State, raising the internal revenue generation of the state from a paltry N600 million monthly, which has now grown to N51 billion today.”

Onanuga added that Tinubu demonstrated a vast knowledge of economic management and a perfect understanding of Nigeria’s political economy in his answers.

Tinubu was also said to have cited his invitation to Enron to start the first state-backed power generation project in the country and how Nigeria would need to take the power transmission lines as a highway.

Questions asked the APC National Leader included his upbringing, and educational and professional background.

“Tinubu impressed the panel during the screening process with the way and manner he answered and provided insight into many of the questions asked.

“The screening committee expressed satisfaction with Tinubu’s knowledge of the economy and socio-political issues that are affecting the country,” Onanuga stated.