The other candidates in the presidential race have been urged by President Muhammadu Buhari to present proof of any alleged results manipulation.
The president claimed that the results showed that democracy had matured in the nation because the electoral map had never shifted in such a way in a single election cycle.
The president, while congratulating the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, (APC), Bola Tinubu for winning the 2023 Presidential Election, said: “there is no doubt the people’s decision has been rendered in the results we look at today.”
President Buhari highlighted that competition was beneficial for democracy in a statement released on Wednesday morning by his media assistant, Garba Shehu.
He said “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.
“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.”
While acknowledging that there were difficulties, the president insisted that none of the problems raised presented a threat to the integrity and fairness of the voting process.
For instance, there were technical issues with the electronic transmission of the results, the president noted. There will undoubtedly be some areas that require improvement in order to increase the voting process’s credibility and transparency.
In encouraging peace, he said, “I appeal on all candidates to recall the peace vow they signed just days before the election. Do not undercut INEC’s authority. Let’s now advance collectively. the public have spoken”.
