Yemisi Izuora
The UK Government has congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari for his re-election at the just concluded presidential election.
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”.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Wednesday declared President Buhari the winner of the 2019 Presidential Elections.