President-elect, Bola Tinubu, on Sunday, amidst fierce rejection by his critics, said he would embrace those willing to be his friends as he sets forth to lead Nigeria for the next four years.

Mr Tinubu made the statement in an appreciation message posted on his verified Twitter account.

“To those who have extended the arm of friendship, I offer mine in return. This is a good time to believe in the Nigerian dream, a good time to believe in our renewed hope,” he said.

Amid controversial reports of rigging, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Wednesday, declared Mr Tinubu as the winner of the presidential election with a total of 8,794,726 votes ahead of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP).

While the candidates of the opposition parties, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, have vowed to challenge the result of the election in court, Mr Tinubu has continued to make indirect offers to the aggrieved parties aimed at reaching a political compromise.

His offers of peace and cooperation have been rejected by many, who described it as an attempt to run a government on a stolen mandate and a rape of democracy.