Thabo Mbeki, former president of South Africa, has asked Bola Tinubu, president-elect, to build an exemplary government when he assumes office.
Mbeki, who is the chairperson of the Commonwealth Observer Group for the election, said many countries in the continent look up to Nigeria.
In a statement issued by Tunde Rahman on Friday, Mbeki spoke on Thursday when he visited Tinubu in Abuja.
“Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa with a big economy. Whatever happens here sets the pace for the rest of Africa,” Mbeki was quoted as saying.
“We need a strong Nigerian presidency that will also focus on the African region. Your opponent will be looking for the smallest thing to throw stones at. That is the way of democracy.”
The president-elect also assured the former South African president of his commitment to further African integration and economic development and promised to work with Mr. Mbeki and other leaders of the continent in this direction.
On Wednesday, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Tinubu as the winner of the presidential election and also issued him a certificate of return.
Tinubu secured 8,794,726 votes. Abubakar had the second-highest figure with 6,984,520 votes, while Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) was next with 6,101,533 votes.
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