The President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Vice President-elect, Senator Kashim Shettima were in Daura, Katsina State today, March 1, to formally present their certificates of return to President Muhammadu Buhari, after winning the February 25 Presidential election held across the country.
The election was conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the result concluded today, March 1, at about 4am.
The certificates of return are symptomatic of the victory of Tinubu and Shettima in the presidential election as issued by the INEC.
Speaking to newsmen after presenting the certificate to the President, Tinubu described defeat as provocative, which the opponents should bear.
“This is the largest democracy in Africa. We could not have done any better. We are lucky, there is no accident and no matter how provocative a defeat is, we have to tolerate it if we are democrats. We have a nation to build.”
He said that he and his second-in-command had gone to present the certificates of return to President Buhari, recognising that the President is the leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), on whose platform he and Shettima contested the election.
Receiving the President-elect his Vice, President Buhari described the election as “phenomenal election result.”
Buhari said that leaders and embers of the party are very lucky because there were no problems.
“No blood shed, no accidents. We have God Almighty to thank for this.”
He expressed happiness that Nigerians have chosen the APC and its candidates, saying that by such action their desire for the momentum of development under the administration would be intensified.
The President commended the Party supporters and the Presidential Campaign Council for the historic victory which he said would never have been possible without discipline, commitment and hard work.
The election winner and his deputy were accompanied to Daura by 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.
Other were the Governors of Kebbi, Niger, Plateau, Ogun and the former Governors of Borno, Ali Modu Sheriff and that of Zamfara, Abdulaziz Yari.
There were also Ministers of Youth and Sports, Sunday Dare and Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.
Also on the entourage were Alhaji Kashim Imam, Wale Tinubu, the Deputy Governor of Katsina State, Mannir Yakubu and the Speaker of the Parliament of Kaduna state Yusuf Ibrahim Zailani.
