JUST IN: UK congratulates Tinubu, urges aggrieved parties to resolve issues

The United Kingdom has congratulated the President-elect, Bola Tinubu.

Tinubu received the Certificate of Return as the President-elect of Nigeria on Wednesday.

The certificate was presented to him by the Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.

In the early hours of Wednesday, March 1, Yakubu declared Tinubu as the winner of the keenly contested presidential election which held on Saturday, February 25.

The Peoples Democratic Party’s Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party’s Peter Obi, came second and third respectively in a contest that saw both of them win in 12 states each, just like the President-elect, Tinubu.

In a statement, UK Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly, hailed registered voters for exercising their democratic rights.

Cleverly however, urged opposition parties to seek legal ways of addressing issues and focus on delivering democracy.

His statement read, “The United Kingdom commends Nigerian voters for their participation in the presidential and National Assembly elections and for their patience and resilience in exercising their democratic rights. We congratulate the President-elect, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“We note the position of opposition parties on the election outcome and the concerns expressed by observer missions and civil society about the organisation of the process, including delays and technical challenges.

“We encourage the authorities to examine all concerns carefully, take action to resolve outstanding issues and focus on delivering the will of the Nigerian people.”