"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," spokesperson Garba Shehu quoted Mr Buhari as saying.
"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.
Mr Buhari also commented on the reactions of the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party and the Labour Party who accused INEC of compromise and called for the cancellation of the election. The president continued,"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.