'Nigerians have chosen well': President Muhammudu Buhari hails successor Tinubu

Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday, as his last assignment in Abuja's corridors of power, addressed the nation and defended his record on the economy.

President Buhari said that he was leaving a legacy of credible and fair voting and that the country was in better shape since 2015.

Buhari first came to office in 2015 after promising an elevated economy and an end to corruption and insecurity.

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Meanwhile, incoming President Bola Tinubu's victory is being challenged by his two closest opposition rivals.

On Tuesday, a court will begin to hear the main arguments in the election petition.

Buhari, an 80-year-old retired general, said the February vote had helped entrench democracy in Africa's most populous nation and that Tinubu, who ran on his ruling party's ticket, was the best candidate to emerge from the election.

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"I am leaving behind an electoral process which guarantees that votes count, results are credible, elections are fair and transparent and the influence of money in politics reduced to the barest minimum," Buhari said in his farewell speech.

"To my brother, friend and fellow worker in the political terrain for the past ten years – Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu -, I congratulate you on the realisation of your dream, which was propelled by a burning passion to put Nigeria amongst the leading nations of the world," Buhari said.

Tinubu is inheriting double-digit inflation, which has eroded savings and wages. It is one of the biggest issues that will confront him when he is sworn into office.

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President Buhari, however, said that his government had made some difficult choices to reset the economy, some of which "led to temporary pain and suffering for which I sincerely apologiseto my fellow countrymen, but the measures were taken for the overall good of the country."

Buhari also defended accusations that extremism had grown under his watch in Nigeria.

“Our battle to ensure that all Nigerians live in a safe and secure environment has achieved considerable results. As I complete my term in office, we have been able to reduce the incidences of banditry, terrorism, armed robbery and other criminal activities considerably,” he said.

(With inputs from agencies)

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