The regime of the All Progressives Congress is “very lucky” to avoid bloodshed following Bola Tinubu’s victory in the fiercely contested and highly contentious presidential election held on Saturday, says President Muhammadu Buhari.

On Wednesday, the president stated this when he received President-elect Bola Tinubu and Vice-President-elect Kashim Shettima, who visited him in Daura, Katsina.

Mr Buhari has commended supporters and the presidential campaign council of the APC for its “historic win” in the February 25 election.

He believed that the party’s victory would never have been possible without the discipline, commitment and hard work of the APC Presidential Campaign Council.

Apparently overcome with emotions, seeing the “phenomenal election result,” Mr Buhari kept repeating, “My Good Lord, My Good Lord, fantastic.”

“We are very lucky; there were no problems. No bloodshed, no accidents. We have God Almighty to thank for this,” the president uttered as he warmly clasped the hand of the president-elect.

Mr Buhari said he was pleased with those who chose the APC and its candidates, affirming through this their desire that the momentum of development under his regime continues.

Mr Tinubu, in an interview, said that as a loyal party man, they came to present the certificates to the president as the party leader and to commend him for his efforts to support democracy in Africa.

The certificates are symbolic of their victory in the presidential election, as issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission on Wednesday in Abuja.

The president-elect said, “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.”

Messrs Tinubu and Shettima were accompanied to Daura by APC chairman Abdullahi Adamu, the APC founding chairman Bisi Akande, as well as the governors of Katsina, Kaduna, Ebonyi, Zamfara, Lagos and Jigawa.

Others were the governors of Kebbi, Niger, Plateau, and Ogun and the former governors of Borno, Ali Modu Sheriff, and of Zamfara, Abdulaziz Yari.

Sports minister Sunday Dare, and information minister Lai Mohammed, also made the trip.

Kashim Imam, Wale Tinubu, Deputy Governor Mannir Yakubu of Katsina, and the speaker of the Kaduna house of assembly, Yusuf Zailani, were also part of the entourage. 

(NAN)