The speech marked the end of his tenure, during which he served as the 15th President of Nigeria, and provided an opportunity for him to thank the citizens and reflect on his two terms as president.
Delivered from the Presidential Villa in Abuja, President Buhari acknowledged the efforts made by various candidates but insisted that the President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was the ideal candidate to lead Nigeria and was duly elected.
He also appreciated candidates who lost in the election for approaching the court to seek redress.
“To my brother, friend and fellow worker in the political terrain for the past ten years – Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu -, I congratulate you on the realisation of your dream, which was propelled by a burning passion to put Nigeria amongst the leading nations of the world.
“You have indeed worked for this day and God has crowned your efforts. I have no doubt that your passion for excellence, reliance on competence, fairness in relationships, commitment to equity, loyalty to the country and desire for Nigeria to be globally relevant would come through for you, under God’s guidance, as you lead our country to levels higher than I am leaving.
“You are the best candidate among all the contestants and Nigerians have chosen well,” said the outgoing president.
More details to follow..