During his speech, Buhari congratulated Tinubu and accused Atiku and Peter Obi of “aggravating” Nigerians.

APC candidate and 2023 election victor Bola Ahmed Tinubu have been congratulated by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The Hon. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, I offer my heartfelt congratulations on your recent electoral success. As he was chosen by the voters, he is the most qualified candidate. A peaceful transition of power is now my top priority, and I look forward to working with him and his staff to achieve that goal,” Mr Buhari was reported as saying by his spokeswoman, Garba Shehu.

There has never been a larger exercise of democratic rule in Africa than this election. This election proves that democracy is still relevant and can provide for the people it serves, even in a region that has seen regression and military coups in recent years.

In-country, the findings show that Nigeria’s democracy is maturing. To this day, there has never been such a dramatic change in the electoral map in only one election cycle. As a result of the presidential election, states from every part of the country flipped their colours. There’s a chance some of you spotted the state I grew up in. The victorious candidate did not even win his own state. In a close race, that is exactly what occurs. There is no such thing as a sure vote or a sure voter. They are both meritocratic. Competitive markets strengthen our democratic system. Clearly, the results we see today represent the will of the people.

Mr Buhari also addressed the accusations of compromise and calls for the annulment of the election made by the candidates for the Peoples Democratic Party (Atiku Abubakar) and the Labour Party (Peter Obi).

That’s not to suggest the exercise was perfect,” the president said. Instance: electronic transfer of findings was problematic due to technological issues. There are almost certainly certain areas that may be improved upon to make the voting process more open and trustworthy. None of the complaints filed, however, pose a threat to the fairness and freedom of the elections.

I recognise that there are politicians and candidates who would disagree with me on this. It works too. Every candidate who has proof of fraud made against them is encouraged to present it. If the losers can’t accept the results of the election, then it must be the will of the people. If they have a problem with it, they should take it to court instead of taking it out on the streets.

But if they do the latter, it shows they are acting not in the interest of the people but rather to inflame, putting people in danger for their own advantage.

Although it’s true that every election brings with it a certain amount of divisiveness, now is the moment to put aside differences and do the right thing. I urge all candidates to keep in mind the promise of peace they made in the last days before the election. Do not do anything to damage INEC’s reputation. Together, we can do much more. Votes have been cast.