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Tag: President-Elect

  • Tinubu’s victory underlines resilience of Nigerians – El-Rufai

    Tinubu’s victory underlines resilience of Nigerians – El-Rufai

    Gov. Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has described the victory of Sen. Bola Tinubu in the Feb. 25 Presidential election as a tribute to the resilience of Nigerians whose votes made it all possible.

    In a congratulatory statement on Wednesday, the governor said the victory is a much-deserved triumph, reflecting the connection between dedicated effort and reward.

    According to El-Rufai, Tinubu’s success at the polls came amidst the most onerous circumstances for the candidates of the ruling party, adding that it underlines the scale of the hard work put in by the APC and its supporters.

    The governor said the APC has a duty to repay this faith by providing purposeful governance that delivers progressive outcomes for all Nigerians.

    “I have no doubt that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu grasps the import of this victory and will lead Nigeria’s forward with renewed hope.

    “He knows he has our staunch support in bringing Nigerians together and uniting the country in common endeavours for progress, peace and prosperity,’’ he said.

    El Rufai said that he was proud of the contributions of Kaduna state to this monumental triumph that the APC has accomplished, lamenting that in this titanic struggle, we sadly lost many of our National Assembly seats.

    “As regrettable as that is, APC members are still victors. APC members in Kaduna State, our supporters and the entire people of Kaduna state have just partaken in a festival of democracy that has demonstrated our status as people of honour.

    ‘’Our region as a whole has shown that we value national unity, that we honour agreements and dutifully discharge the obligations that such entail,’’ he said.

    He urged every APC member to be an integral part of this victorious national party.

    The governor promised that Kaduna APC would build on this momentum to victory in the March 11 governorship and State House of Assembly elections.

    ‘’On that day, our people will use the legitimate route democracy offers to redress the setbacks of Feb. 25 by giving an emphatic victory to all APC candidates in Kaduna State.

    ‘’We will campaign hard anew our strong record of governance in the last eight years in which we have put our people first,’’ he said.

    The governor appealed to people of the state to come and vote massively on March 11, arguing that many of their candidates would have won on Feb. 25, if there was better turnout of their supporters.

    According to him, this is no time for political apathy because the choice Kaduna State faces is monumental, and we should choose wisely just as Nigeria has done.

  • Your attributes needed at this time, Osinbajo to Tinubu

    Your attributes needed at this time, Osinbajo to Tinubu

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has congratulated the winner of the 2023 presidential election, Sen. Bola Tinubu.

    Osinbajo extended his felicitations in a message he sent to the President-elect on Wednesday in Abuja.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had earlier on Wednesday declared the presidential flag bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Tinubu, winner of the Feb. 25 presidential election.

    INEC has also presented the Certificates of Return to Tinubu, and his Vice President-elect, Kashim Shettima.

    “I warmly congratulate the flagbearer of our great party, the APC, Tinubu, on his victory at the 2023 Presidential Elections, and his declaration as President-Elect of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    “I also congratulate Sen. Shettima on his declaration as Vice President-Elect of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    “In your previous years of public service, you have demonstrated a consistent fidelity to progressive and welfarist ideals, and an ability to build bridges across several divides.

    “These attributes are needed especially at this time, to reach out to disaffected sections of our society and to meet the aspirational expectations of our young people who have shown such a strong desire to impact our democratic process in a positive way.

    “I trust that they will not allow whatever setbacks they may have experienced to truncate their strong desire to determine the future course of our national journey.

    “Through thick and thin, we must all remain focused on the objective of birthing the Nigeria of our dreams.

    “I pray that Almighty God will help you to fulfil the progressive mandate of our Party, as well as your various plans to improve the security, welfare and happiness of all Nigerians,” he said.

    Earlier,  while presiding over the weekly Federal Executive Council, the vice president led the ministers to congratulate Tinubu, his wife,  Sen. Oluremi Tinubu and the Vice President-Elect, Shettima.

    He directed the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to formally convey the felicitations of the council.

    The vice president had also attended the formal presentation of the INEC Certificates of Return to both the President-Elect and the Vice President-Elect at the National Collation Center, International Conference Centre, Abuja.

  • 2023: ‘He’s the best person for the job’ – Buhari reacts to Tinubu’s victory

    2023: ‘He’s the best person for the job’ – Buhari reacts to Tinubu’s victory

    President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated the winner of the 2023 Presidential Election, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Sen. Bola Tinubu.

    The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, on Wednesday morning declared Tinubu as the winner of the Feb. 25 presidential election with 8,794,726 votes.

    Tinubu defeated his closest rival Atiku Abubakar of the People Democratic Party (PDP) who polled 6,984,520 votes, and Peter Obi of Labour Party who secured 6,101,533 votes of the 24,965,218 total vote cast.

    Also, Sen.  Rabiu  Kwankwaso- of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) came distance fourth with 1,496,687 votes.

    Reacting to the results announced by  the INEC chairman, Buhari said:

    “I congratulate His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu on his victory. Elected by the people, he is the best person for the job. I shall now work with him and his team to ensure an orderly handover of power.

    “The election was Africa’s largest democratic exercise. In a region that has undergone backsliding and military coups in recent years, this election demonstrates democracy’s continued relevance and capability to deliver for the people it serves.

    “Within Nigeria, the results reveal democracy’s ripening in our country. Never has the electoral map shifted so drastically in one cycle.

    “In the presidential elections, states in all regions across the nation changed colour.

    ”Some amongst you may have noticed my home state amongst them. The winning candidate did not carry his own home state either. That happens during a competitive election.

    ”Votes and those that cast them cannot be taken for granted. Each must be earned. Competition is good for our democracy.

    ”There is no doubt the people’s decision has been rendered in the results we look at today.”

    The president, who acknowledged that there were  technical problems with electronic transmission of the results, maintained that efforts would be intensified to bring further transparency and credibility to the voting procedure in the country.

    He said: “That is not to say the exercise was without fault. For instance, there were technical problems with electronic transmission of the results.

    ”Of course, there will be areas that need work to bring further transparency and credibility to the voting procedure.

    “However, none of the issues registered represent a challenge to the freeness and fairness of the elections.”

    “I know some politicians and candidates may not agree with this view. That too is fine.

    ”If any candidate believes they can prove the fraud they claim is committed against them, then bring forward the evidence.

    ”If they cannot, then we must conclude that the election was indeed the people’s will – no matter how hard that may be for the losers to accept. If they feel the need to challenge, please take it to the courts, not to the streets.

    “However, to do the latter means they are not doing it in the interest of the people, but rather to inflame, to put people in harm’s way and all for personal, selfish gains,” he said.

    The president enjoined all the candidates to abide by the peace accord they signed before the conduct of the election, urging them to always avoid any action capable of undermining the credibility of INEC.

    He said: “After a degree of polarization that necessarily accompanies any election, it is now time to come together and act responsibly.

    ”I call on all the candidates to remember the peace pledge they signed just days before the election.

    ”Do not undermine the credibility of INEC. Let us now move forward as one. The people have spoken.”

  • Nigerian, Dr Osahon Enabulele emerges President-Elect of World Medical Association

    Nigerian, Dr Osahon Enabulele emerges President-Elect of World Medical Association

    President of Commonwealth Medical Association (CMA), Dr Osahon Enabulele, has emerged as the President-elect of the World Medical Association (WMA).

    His emergence comes after almost one week of voting by participating medical associations from various countries across the world.

    Dr Enabulele, a former President of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), takes over from Dr Heidi Stensmyren of Sweden as the President-elect of the association.

    He vied for the position with Dr Muhammad Nizami, a Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and President of the Pakistan Medical Association.

    Based on the WMA structure, Dr Stensmyren takes over from Dr David Barbe of the United States as the WMA President for the 2021 – 2022 executive year.

    Dr Enabulele rose to the position of President-elect after over 14 years of his engagement at the global level.

    In 2019, he became the first Nigerian physician to be elected as President of CMA since the body was founded in November 1962.

    Also in the same year, Dr Enabulele became the first Nigerian physician to become a statutory Council Member of WMA, as well as the first Nigerian physician to ever chair one of the only three standing committees – Socio-Medical Affairs Committee (SMAC) of the association.

    This followed his election as Chairman of SMAC in Chile in 2019, he was re-elected for another term as Chair of SMAC in 2021.

    The WMA President-elect is expected to give his acceptance speech during the 2021 General Assembly of the association scheduled to hold on Friday next week in London.

    He is now the first Nigerian and West African physician to be elected President of the WMA since the global body of all physicians in the world was established in 1947.

    Dr Enabulele will be superintending over the WMA during the 2022 – 2023 executive year.

  • Atiku congratulates U.S. President-elect Joe Biden

    Atiku congratulates U.S. President-elect Joe Biden

    Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has congratulated the United States President-elect, Joe Biden, on his “well-deserved victory” at the Nov. 3 elections.
    In a statement he signed on Saturday in Abuja, Abubakar urged Biden to build on U.S.-Nigeria relationship.
    He said that he looked forward to the age-long collaboration between the two nations in the course of the advancement of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all peoples.
    Abubakar said that he also looks forward to a Biden global leadership in the war on terror, and partnership with Nigeria to end the terror and poverty-related insecurities facing Nigeria.
    He said that Nigeria and the U.S. are two nations, united by a common language.
    “Nigeria and the free world have much to learn from your victory, especially your pronouncement that you will not be a President for only those who voted for you.
    “May such sentiments echo and reecho globally.
    “Not only do I congratulate you on your victory, but I also urge you to build on US-Nigeria relations, especially on widening the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) for seamless interplay with the African Continental Free Trade Area (ACFTA).
    “Only by fair trade will Africa fulfil its potential, and a prosperous Africa is good for the United States and the world.”
    Abubakar said that in electing a man rich in experience, the great people of the United States of America have done the world a great service.

  • Weah, Liberian president-elect set for thanksgiving in The Synagogue

    Liberian President-elect, George Weah is set to pay another visit to The Synagogue Church of All Nations. According to sources,, the visit of the president-elect is to thank God over his victory in the run-off election that led to his emergence as the Liberian President.

    It will be recalled that the 51-year old President-elect had visited the church and had attended one of the church’s Sunday service accompanied by former Liberian Warlord and presently a Senator in that country, Prince Yormie Johnson in October, last year. Weah’s visit to the Synagogue was said to have been facilitated by Johnson who was a member of the church during his stay in Nigeria.

    During the visit, Prophet Joshua was quoted at the time that, Weah’s visit was to pray for an ideal candidate for the country to emerge. “My brother is here today because he loves his country. He is not here to impose himself. What does God say about his country, Liberia? What is God’s opinion? That is why he is here.

    “We are not herbalists or witch doctors, we are people of God. God’s choice is our choice. We cannot pray against God’s will,” Prophet Joshua said.

    Weah is said to have had a special session with the Founder of the Synagogue, Prophet Joshua who assured him of victory in the November 7 rescheduled run-off election.

    The former World Footballer of the year faced incumbent Vice President, Joseph Boakai in the runoff poll.

    In the result released shortly after the election, Liberia’s National Election Commission (NEC) said Weah had polled 61.5 percent while his opponent polled 38.5 percent of the total 98.1 declared. The president-elect had topped the first round of voting in October, last year with 38.4 percent of the votes but was unable to win 50 percent necessary to avoid a runoff. Boakai came second with 28.8 percent.

    Weal is not the first African leader to visit the church. Tanzanian President, John Magufuli, late Ghanaian President, John Atta Mills, former President of Malawi, Joyce Banda, among others, had at one time or the other visited The Synagogue.

  • ‘Change is on!’, Liberia’s president-elect, George Weah assures Liberians

    Former World Footballer of the Year, George Weah, on Thursday thanked the electorates for the confidence reposed in him to lead the nation forward.

    That country’s National Elections Commission on Thursday evening declared the former footballer and candidate of the opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) as scoring 720,023 votes, which is 61.5 percent of 98 percent total votes cast at the election.

    That effectively made him the president-elect of the small West African nation.

    The incumbent vice president and candidate of the ruling Unity Party, Joseph Boakai, scored 451,088, which is 38.5 percent of the vote cast.

    Reacting to the development via a post on his Facebook Page shortly after the announcement, Mr. Weah said, “My fellow Liberians, I deeply feel the emotion of all the nation. I measure the importance and the responsibility of the immense task which I embrace today.

    “Change is on.”

    The footballer-turned-politician is expected to make a detailed statement after his official declaration as president-elect.

    But the CDC candidate has been addressing Liberians in the past days, albeit in few words, with the confidence of a winner.

    On Wednesday, a day after the run-off, Mr. Weah reacted to the UP’s premature claim of victory by simply underlining how confident he is of emerging victorious in the election.

    “The Liberian people clearly made their choice yesterday and all together we are very confident in the result of the electoral process,” he said shortly after a spokesperson for the UP claimed the ruling party had won four of six counties purportedly declared by the elections commission.

    Hours after polls closed on Tuesday, Mr. Weah brimmed with confidence, telling his country people, “It is with deep emotion that I want to thank you, the Liberian people, for honouring me with your vote today. It is a great hope.”

    Even on the eve of the election, the ex-footballer thumped his chest, telling whoever cared to listen that he was on the cusp of history.

    “I am deeply grateful to my family, my friends, and my loyal supporters who contributed to our campaign during this extremely long election season,” he said hours before the run-off. “We are on the verge of making history for our people.”

    Liberia, a country ravaged by war for years and which now suffers serious infrastructural deficit, is in dire need of a leader that can consolidate on the gains of outgoing leader, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who is stepping down in January, analysts say.

    Mr. Weah believes he fits that bill, making many promises in the run-up to his election – pledging to give his country the kind of leadership it needs.

    “I will put all my strength, my energy, my sincerity and my influence at the service of the Liberian people,” he said on December 11, shortly after the New African Magazine named him among 100 Most Influential Africans of 2017.

  • Future starts tomorrow, President-elect Barrow assures Gambians

    The Gambia’s President-elect, Adama Barrow, has said the West African country is about to witness the dawn of a new era as he prepares to take over realms of affairs of the country from Yahya Jammeh on Thursday (tomorrow) after the winning the country’s presidential election on December 1 2016.

    “We made history on the first day of December. Our future starts tomorrow”, he said in a tweet on Wednesday morning.

    “We made history on the first day of December. Our future starts tomorrow. #Gambia ” he said on his twitter handle, @adama_barrow.

    Despite Jammeh’s rejection of the outcome of the election after initially conceding defeat, the Africa Union, AU, Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS and other world leaders have vowed not to recognise Jammeh after the expected Jan. 19 hand over date. Barrow has however been on asylum in Dakar, Senegal.

    However, in a last gambit on Tuesday, after shutting down four private radio stations, Jammeh declared a three-month state of emergency, starting from Tuesday.

    In a televised address on state TV on Tuesday evening, Mr. Jammeh announced that the 90 days state of emergency started from January 17 and will end April 17, 2017.

    “Under this state of public emergency, civil liberties are to be fully respected while all citizens and residents in The Gambia are banned from any acts of disobedience to the laws of The Gambia, incitement to violence and acts intended to disturb public order and peace,” he said.

    Jammeh explained that he declared the state of emergency because of “the need to prevent a constitutional crisis and power vacuum pending the determination of the petitions at the Supreme Court and the application for an injunction against swearing in Mr. Adama Barrow, until the Supreme Court decides on the 1st December 2016 Presidential Election results”.

    He also ordered the security forces, who pledged allegiance to him, to maintain law and order in the country during the period.

    The resolution was however passed by the country’s National Assembly after a motion was tabled by Majority Leader Fabakary Jatta on Tuesday.

  • Saraki Congratulates Ghanaian President-elect

    Saraki Congratulates Ghanaian President-elect

    The President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, has congratulated the President-elect of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, on his victory in the just concluded general elections.

    Saraki, in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Yusuph Olaniyonu, on Saturday in Abuja, also congratulated the people of Ghana for a successful election.

    The president of the Senate equally commended President John Dramani Mahama for conceding defeat adding that it was a demonstration that democracy had come to stay in Africa.

    “From what we experienced last year during Nigeria’s general elections with an incumbent President conceding victory and what we have seen now in Ghana, it shows a trend of political maturity in West Africa.

    “What we are celebrating today is a confirmation that Africa has truly matured in terms of democracy.

    “The people of Ghana and their leaders have confirmed that elections can be free, fair, credible and non-violent.

    “I commend and congratulate the President of Ghana, and the President-elect for their dignified conduct throughout this process.

    “ I wish them success throughout the transition period. I also want to reassure them that the Nigerian legislature will continue to remain their firm partners in development,’’ he said.