President Muhammadu Buhari proclaimed that Nigerians chose to support Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the elections held last Saturday as a result of the high degree of development being carried out by the current administration.
The President said he was pleased that the people chose the APC and its candidates, affirming through this their desire that the momentum of development under the administration continues. He was speaking on Wednesday while receiving in audience the President-elect, Asiwaju Tinubu, and other leaders of the ruling party at Daura, Katsina state country home, according to a release issued by presidential spokesperson, Mallam Garba Shehu.
The “historic win,” which, according to the President, would not have been possible without discipline, commitment, and hard effort, was praised by Party supporters as well as the Presidential Campaign Council.
Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the president-elect, and Senator Kashim Shettima, the vice president-elect, made a triumphant entrance into the private residence in Daura on Wednesday evening. They each carried their certificates of return. There were joyful scenes inside President Buhari’s home.
The Independent National Electoral Commission released the certificates as proof of their victory in the presidential election.
President Buhari appeared to be overcome with emotion after learning of the “phenomenal election result,” as he kept saying, “My Good Lord, My Good Lord,” and “Wonderful.”
“We are very lucky,” the President uttered as he warmly clasped the hand of the President-elect, “there were no problems. No bloodshed, no accidents. We have God Almighty to thank for this.”
Tinubu said, “I came to present the certificate of return to him (Buhari) as the party leader and commend his efforts in supporting democracy in Africa, this is the largest democracy in Africa and he couldn’t have done any better, we are lucky there is no incident, there is no accident, and no matter how provocative a defeat is, we still have to tolerate it because we are democrats and we are trying to build a nation.
He also mentioned that several foreign leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, had sent him congratulations.
According to him: “Oh very many of that, in fact as far as Europe, the stock market reacted positively well, there was a goodwill message from Macron the President of France”.
The chairman of the APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, the founding chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, as well as the governors of Katsina, Kaduna, Ebonyi, Zamfara, Lagos, and Jigawa, accompanied the president-elect and his deputy to Daura.
Also, governors of Kebbi, Niger, Plateau, Ogun, and the former leaders of Borno, Ali Modu Sheriff, and Abdulaziz Yari, as well as those of Niger, Borno, and Zamfara.
There were also Ministers of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, and Youth and Sports, Sunday Dare.
Alhaji Kashim Imam, Wale Tinubu, Mannir Yakubu, the deputy governor of Katsina State, and Yusuf Ibrahim Zailani, the speaker of the Kaduna state parliament, were also among the entourage.