Nigeria Presidential Inauguration 2015: President-Elect Buhari Slams Jonathan's Outgoing Administration Over Power Transfer

Nigeria’s president-elect Muhammadu Buhari slammed ministers of outgoing President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration for hindering a smooth transition one week before his presidential inauguration. Buhari revealed his sentiments in a statement issued by his spokesman Thursday after the president-elect received an interim report from a committee set up to assist him in the transfer of power, Nigerian newspapers reported.

The interim report looked at issues on good governance within the various arms of the administration as well as infrastructure, power, national security, education, health and social welfare. The report included recommendations from several sub-committees, but ministers and government leaders under Jonathan’s administration did not provide any input, according to Leadership newspaper.

Buhari "expressed disappointment that ministers and other government leaders were not at hand, so far, to brief the committee but he assured that since the bureaucrats who write the reports will be at hand after the departure of the politicians, whatever is there will eventually be known. He requested the Joda-led committee to be in readiness to resume work the moment the outgoing government’s handover notes are received,” Buhari’s spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, said in the statement Thursday.

The party-elect All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the outgoing Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of withholding information and refusing to brief Buhari’s incoming administration, Premium Times reported. Buhari will inherit a list of challenges upon taking the presidential seat on May 29, including fraud, security and fuel scarcity in Nigeria. The former military dictator beat the incumbent Jonathan in the March 28 presidential election with more than two million votes, marking the first time an incumbent president was defeated in Nigeria.

Activities celebrating the upcoming inauguration began Friday with prayers at a mosque in Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria. Last week, U.S. President Barack Obama announced that Secretary of State John Kerry will lead the U.S. presidential delegation to attend the May 29 ceremony.