President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday congratulated the winner of Nigeria’s presidential election, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying he is the best man for the job.
Tinubu, the candidate of Buhari’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), won 8.8 million votes against 6.9 million for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Atiku Abubakar and 6.1 million for Peter Obi’s Labor Party in Saturday’s election, according to final result.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) confirmed Tinubu as president-elect after he also secured the required 25 percent of votes in two-thirds of Nigeria’s 36 states and capitals.
Tinubu will succeed Buhari, a former general, who will step down on May 29 after serving the maximum two terms allowed by the constitution.
“I congratulate His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu on his victory. Elected by the people, he is the best man for the job,” Buhari said on Twitter.
“I will now work with him and his team to ensure an orderly handover of power.”
Buhari urged the aggrieved opposition parties who called for the annulment of the ballot to remain calm and maintain peace despite their misgivings.
“There is no doubt that the decision of the people has been carried out in this result,” he said.
“It does not mean that the exercise is without errors. For example, there are technical problems with the electronic transmission of results. Of course, there will be areas that need work to bring more transparency and credibility to the electoral procedure.
“There is no issue listed as a challenge to electoral freedom and fairness,” Buhari said.
“If any candidate believes they can prove the fraud they claim to have committed, then bring the evidence.”