Bola Tinubu, the President, expressed his happiness for Mr. Bassirou Faye winning the Senegal Presidency.
He also congratulated Macky Sall, the current President, for supervising a peaceful and transparent election.
Tinubu's message was in a statement by his media adviser, Ajuri Ngelale, titled 'President Tinubu congratulates President-elect Bassirou Dionaye Faye and the people of the Republic of Senegal.'
Faye won the election as Senegal’s President-elect with a remarkable victory on March 24, 2024.
The electoral commission mentioned that over 7 million people were registered to vote out of about 17 million Senegalese, with a voter turnout of over 61 percent, revealed by the civil society observer group known as COSCE.
Candidates had to get more than 50 per cent of the vote to win.
Even though the Senegalese News Agency, APS, said the results will be announced on April 3, initial results indicated that the opposition candidate, Faye, received about 53.7 per cent of the vote.
Additionally, former Prime Minister and ruling coalition’s candidate, Amadou Ba, got 36.2 per cent based on counts from 90 per cent of polling stations in the first-round vote, reported by the electoral commission.
Ba, who was supported by incumbent President Sall, accepted defeat based on the preliminary results.
Faye has since appreciated the gesture, saying, “I acknowledge the approach of the other candidates who, without exception, have respected a very Senegalese tradition without waiting for the official results to be announced by the authorized state bodies.”
A protege of opposition leader, Ousmane Sonko, Faye has promised to lead humbly, combat corruption, and safeguard Senegal from corruption and foreign interference.
In response to the developments, Tinubu remarked that “President-elect Faye comes with great promise and an excellent record, wishing him success as he takes on this important job of leading the good people of Senegal.”
He stated the success of the presidential election in Senegal and the successful conduct of the general election in Liberia a few months ago have affirmed his long-held belief that the foundation of democracy is deeply rooted in West Africa and will only become stronger with good governance and fairness to all.
As the Chairman of ECOWAS, the President confirmed that the successful conduct of the Senegal election is “a boost to the sub-regional organization in its efforts to promote peace and constitutional order, as well as strengthen ties among member states.”
Therefore, he congratulated the people of Senegal and assured them of Nigeria’s best wishes and support.
Last Sunday’s election was the first without a sitting president on the ballot after term limits were introduced, barring Sall from seeking a third term.
