Nigerian President Buhari congratulates Zambia's president-elect

ABUJA, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday sent a congratulatory message to Zambia's opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema on his victory in the presidential election.
In the congratulatory message, Buhari also lauded the people of Zambia who came out to exercise their civic rights and vote for the candidate of their choice.
This further indicated that "the prospect of a united, stable and prosperous Africa lies in the power of the people to freely elect their leaders," read the message.
Buhari commended the outgoing Zambian President Edgar Lungu for accepting the outcome of the election and pledging 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, Buhari said he looked forward to working very closely with the Zambian president-elect for the peace, development, and prosperity of both nations.
In an announcement early Monday by the Electoral Commission of Zambia, Hichilema beat incumbent President Lungu by managing to pass the 50 percent-plus-one requirements for a presidential winner with 2,810,757 of the votes, while Lungu got 1,814,201.
Source: Xinhua