President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated the President-elect of Zambia, Hakainde Hichilema, on his victory in the presidential election of August 12, 2021.
The electoral commission said Hichilema got 2,810,777 votes against Lungu’s 1,814,201, with all but one of the 156 constituencies counted.
“I therefore declare that the said Hichilema to be president of Zambia,” electoral commission chairman, Esau Chulu, said in a packed results centre in the capital Lusaka.
Reacting to the news in a statement by Femu Adesina, Buhari applauded “the people of Zambia who came out in their numbers to exercise their civic rights, voting candidates of their choice, signposting that the prospect of a united, stable and prosperous Africa lies in the power of the people to freely elect their leaders.
“President Buhari commends President Edgar Lungu for accepting the outcome of the election and a peaceful transfer of power, noting that this patriotic disposition deserves the praise of all lovers of democracy.
“Highlighting the close and historic relationship between Nigeria and Zambia, the Nigerian leader looks forward to working very closely with the Zambian President-elect for the peace, development and prosperity of both nations, and in the common commitment to promote the goals and objectives of our African Union (AU)”.
