UK, African leaders congratulate Buhari over election victory

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President Muhammadu Buhari has continued to receive congratulatory
messages over his re-election from more African leaders and the United
Kingdom.

President Muhammadu Buhari

Mallam Garba Shehu, President’s spokesman in a statement in Abuja on
Wednesday, said, King Mohammed VI of the Kingdom of Morocco, in a
message, described President Buhari’s victory as an affirmation of the
level of confidence Nigerians have in their President.

The King promised to work with President Buhari to advance the interests of both countries.

‘‘Your re-election is a testimony to the level of confidence that you
enjoy among the people of Nigeria, attributable to your wisdom,
experience in politics, sense of engagement and devotion to the service
and the protection of the interests of the country especially as they
relate to the prosperity, wellbeing and security of your people.’’ King
Mohammed VI said in his congratulatory message.

The monarch expressed satisfaction with the existing cordial and
fraternal African relationship linking the two leaders, their people,
and nations.

He reiterated his determination to work in concert with President
Buhari to reinforce the mutually beneficial relationship between Morocco
and Nigeria and to give it a new impetus to serve as a model on the
African continent.

Also, President Alpha Conde of Guinea described the re-election of
President Buhari as a dose of hope for the West African region.

Conde expressed confidence that the cordial relations between Nigeria and Guinea would continue to get better.

President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger, who was the first leader to
call President Buhari minutes after the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) declared him the winner of the 2019 presidential
elections, said he looked forward to working with the Nigerian leader to
further strengthen Nigeria-Niger relations.

Buhari has also received congratulatory messages from Presidents Nana Kofi-Addo of Ghana and Macky Sall of Senegal.

The UK Government has also congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari on securing a second term as president.

A statement from the British High Commission in Abuja on Wednesday,
quoted the Minister of State for Africa, Harriett Baldwin, as saying “I
offer my congratulations to President Buhari on securing a second term
as the Nigerian President.

“The UK is a long-standing friend and partner of Nigeria and the
Nigerian people and a stable and prosperous Nigeria benefits Africa and
the world.”

Baldwin commended Nigerians for their resilience and commitment to democracy.

She said the results declared by the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) were consistent with the results obtained through the
civil society Parallel Vote Tabulation process.

“Along with our international partners, the UK believes the Nigerian people can have confidence in the result.”

She, however, recognised the concerns expressed by Nigerians on the
conduct of the electoral process, in particular logistics and results
collation, and reports of intimidation of electoral officers.

The minister urged any party or individual who wished to challenge
the process to do so peacefully and through the appropriate legal
channel.

“We encourage Nigerian authorities to examine all allegations of
wrongdoing carefully, and take the necessary action against individuals
found responsible’’.

She also condoled with the families and friends of those who lost their lives in election-related violence.

“No one should die in the exercise of their democratic rights,” she stated.

She reiterated the continued support of the UK Government to Nigeria
and its civil society “in drawing lessons from these elections and
strengthening its democracy”.