Senate President Ahmad Lawan, ex-Governor Gbenga Daniel, Governors Abdullahi Ganduje, Aminu Masari and other prominent Nigerians have congratulated President-elect Bola Tinubu on his victory in the February 25 presidential election.

INEC chairman Mahmood Yakubu in the early hours of Wednesday announced Mr Tinubu as the fiercely contested presidential poll winner.

Mr Tinubu polled 8,794,726 votes to defeat Atiku Abubakar of the PDP, who had 6,984,520 votes and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, who received 6,101,533 votes.

In his congratulatory message, Mr Daniel described the president-elect as an exceptional politician and an intellectually resourceful man.

“I wish you the very best in your new assignment as the hope of many Nigeria for a united and a prosperous country now rest on your shoulder,” stated the ex-Ogun governor in his congratulatory message.

Mr Lawan described the victory as a “very sweet feat that the All Progressives Congress will remember for a long time.”

He added, “The election was hard-fought on all sides so this victory is very sweet and will be savoured for a long time by our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), our supporters throughout Nigeria and lovers of democracy across the world.”

PDP chieftain and ex-Governor Ayo Fayose congratulated Mr Tinubu, urging former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar to accept the election outcome.

“I congratulate Asiwaju Bola Tinubu on his election as the next President of Nigeria. As the presidential election comes to an end, I urge other contestants, especially Atiku Abubakar to accept the outcome in the overall interest of our country. There will always be another day,” said Mr Fayose.

The former Ekiti governor used the opportunity to demand the resignation of the PDP national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu.

“As for the PDP National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, I call for his immediate resignation for his inability to move the party forward,” he said.

Governor Abdullahi Ganduje also congratulated the president-elect, saying, “Tinubu’s victory will not only benefit our motherland Nigeria, it will at the same time be a morale booster for Africa, as a continent and for the practice of global democracy.”

Similarly, Governor Aminu Masari described the election of Mr Tinubu as Nigeria’s next president as like putting a “square peg in a square hole.”

NDLEA chairman Buba Marwa expressed his delight at the emergence of Mr Tinubu as the president-elect.

”It is with great delight that I write to celebrate your electoral victory in the 2023 presidential election, from which you emerged as the president-Elect of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Mr Marwa stated in his congratulatory letter to Mr Tinubu. “It is a victory well-deserved and one built on years of focus, hard work, doggedness and the political sagacity of a democrat whose credential has been evident since the heyday of NADECO.”