Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has said Bola Tinubu is the right person to lead the country after him.
Buhari had on Wednesday presented the party’s flag to Tinubu after he won the party’s presidential primary in Abuja.
He said the party, formed in 2013, had been formidable enough to provide good governance and preserve its “democratic achievement and legacy.”
The President urged the party to unite behind Tinubu to achieve victory at the next general polls “so that our government will continue to secure our communities, grow our economy and continue the fight against corruption.”
In a statement signed by Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, Buhari commended the other 22 aspirants who contested against Tinubu and urged them to put the primary behind them to support the party’s candidate.
“We strongly believe that Bola Ahmed Tinubu will safeguard and improve on this democratic achievement and legacy. He is the right candidate for Nigeria’s aspiration because he is the APC’s candidate and under the continued stewardship of our party, Nigeria can achieve greatness and fulfil its destiny in Africa and the world.
“The high point of this extraordinary convention of our party was the energy of the presidential aspirants and it is from amongst them that we have chosen the most popular leader.”
Tinubu got 1,271 votes at the party’s primary to defeat his closest rival Rotimi Amaechi, the former minister of transportation, who garnered 316.
Tinubu will face candidates of other political parties including Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 presidential election.