President Bola Tinubu is expected to relocate to his official residence at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa either this weekend or early next week, nearly two weeks after assuming office.

While the President has been conducting meetings with guests at his office, the Council Chamber, and the State House Banquet Hall, his official residence has remained unusually quiet.

On May 30, the day after his inauguration, Tinubu entered through the quarter guard gate, where he inspected a guard of honor and engaged in discussions with key officials such as Vice-President Kashim Shettima, Speaker of the House of Representatives Femi Gbajabiamila (later appointed as his Chief of Staff), Central Bank of Nigeria Governor Godwin Emefiele, and Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, among others.

Later that day, his motorcade traveled a short distance to his private home in Asokoro, where he had been operating since being declared the President-elect on March 1, 2023.

In the subsequent days, the President met with the General Security Appraisal Committee, governors from his party, the All Progressives Congress, members of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, foreign delegations, former governors, traditional rulers, and representatives from the business community, among others.

Each day, he used the quarter guard gate to enter and leave his office.

Similarly, it was discovered that Vice-President Shettima has been commuting to the office from his personal residence rather than his official residence, the Aguda House.

Sources revealed that former President Muhammadu Buhari vacated the main residence for the Glass House about three weeks prior to the inauguration of his successor. However, due to the short timeframe, maintenance works on the 32-year-old Aso Rock Villa were delayed.

A security source, who confided in Saturday PUNCH, said, “He (Tinubu) has not moved in because maintenance is still on. And that is because maintenance started late because of the time Baba Buhari left the residence and moved into the Glass House. 

“Even though he vacated the main residence a few weeks before handing over, the time was short. If you compare it to Goodluck Jonathan, Jonathan left about a month before Buhari’s swearing in. And so there was enough time for maintenance. That is why Baba Buhari did not waste time to enter the house because it was ready.”

According to a senior State House source who disclosed the information to Saturday PUNCH on May 13, renovation work was underway at the presidential residence. The house was being coated with a fresh layer of white paint, and certain areas were being cleaned and fumigated.

However, the renovation primarily focused on finishing touches, fittings, and the replacement of some security equipment. It did not involve the provision of new furniture sets. The decision regarding whether to replace the existing furniture or retain it would be left to the discretion of the new President.

“You know that most of the structure is white. So, the renovation will involve repainting the stained sections and replacing fittings that have gone weak or bad. The furniture may not be changed. But that will depend on the new President,” the source had said.

However, another Presidency source told our correspondent on Friday that the President was expected to move in “this weekend or early next week.”

“I can confirm that he (Tinubu) has not moved into his residence. But I also know that he may do it this weekend or early next week,” the source said.

A different senior source, who verified the intended move to our correspondent, stated that Tinubu found his residence in Asokoro to be comfortable and saw no reason to stay at the Defence House prior to his inauguration.

The source stated, “He is quite comfortable where he is. Even when he was President-elect, he only visited the Defence House to hold a few meetings and leave. He didn’t really stay there.

“But he will move into the Villa soon because he is the President. He has to operate from here.”