The Democratic Alliance (DA) congratulates Nigeria on the free and fair elections and Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on his election as President.

This election is significant as it is the first time in Nigeria's history that an opposition party has democratically taken control of the country from the ruling party. This signals the first democratic transition of government in Nigeria in the last 16 years.

The DA has long held that the undemocratic installation of any government should not be tolerated by the people of any particular nation. This morning’s announcement is welcomed news and the DA hopes that this will be the case for Nigerian general elections to come and that other African nations marred by election irregularities can aspire to make this progress in future.

This is a good sign of a maturing democracy and we trust that this democratic practice will continue to be further entrenched in Nigeria and throughout the rest of Africa.

Issued by the DA