Liberia President, George Weah has congratulated Bola Ahmed Tinubu for winning Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Wednesday, March 1, 2023, declared Tinubu as the winner of Nigeria’s presidential elections. The poll was said to be the most closely fought in the country’s history.
Tinubu, the candidate of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), garnered a majority of the votes over his rivals including former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, and former Governor, Peter Obi.
Weah in a statement released congratulating Tinubu said said he looks forward to working with the newly elected Nigerian leader in order to strengthen the bond of friendship that exists between both countries.
He also urged all Nigerians to maintain the peace of their nation during such a huge democratic exercise.
He commended outgoing President Mahammadu Buhari for presiding over the organization of the democratic process.
Meanwhile, the Independent Foreign Observers Mission in Nigeria has commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the conduct of the February 25 presidential and federal parliamentary polls.
The mission, which gave the commendation in its preliminary report on Tuesday’s just-concluded election in Abuja, described the poll as peaceful and transparent.
David Furnad of the United States read the report.
He said; “The presidential elections in Nigeria recorded a high turnout of voters nationwide. It can also be regarded as one of the most transparent elections in the country’s history, with the significant candidates recording victories and defeats.
“The presidential election witnessed a comparatively large turnout of voters in the various geopolitical zones compared to other general elections in the country.
“The South-West and the South-East zones witnessed the highest number of voter turnout, with eligible voters demonstrating an uncommon level of patience to exercise their franchise,” he said.
Furnad noted that INEC deployed sensitive and non-sensitive materials to voting points on time, even though the report recorded some delays in some areas, which it said did not deter voters from performing their civic duties.
He stressed, “There were minimal incidences of vote buying across the country. The reason adduced is that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) randomly visited polling units unannounced to arrest anyone involved in such acts. The country’s recent redesign of currency reduced vote buying to the barest minimum.”
The mission praised some political parties and their candidates for honouring the Peace Accord and not inciting their supporters.
