Senate President, Bukola Saraki and his Deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, has congratulated the President-Elect of the United States of America, USA, Mr. Donald Trump, on his victory in the US presidential election.
In his message, Ekweremadu, who described the election as “hard-fought”, said the two major contestants gave a good account of themselves, and commended the candidate of the Democratic Party, Mrs. Hilary Clinton, for calling to concede the presidency to her rival and congratulating him on his hard-worn victory.
He said: “Mr. Trump has rightly described the election as historic. But it is not only historic for the U.S, but also for the world. It is an important reminder to the entire world of the true meaning and essence of democracy as government of the people.
“I urge him to work for democracy, global peace and prosperity because the peace and prosperity of America is intrinsic in that of the entire world.
“In particular, I urge better bilateral deals for Nigeria by the incoming Donald Trump presidency. I have no doubt that the people of Nigeria and indeed the Peoples Democratic Party are willing and ready to work with the incoming U.S government for the good of both nations”.
Senator Ekweremadu also enjoined emerging democracies, including Nigeria, to emulate the democratic and transparent nature of the U.S election, noting that the will of the people and respect for democratic principles must be allowed at all times.
“We have many lessons to learn from the American presidential election. It was highly democratic, transparent, peaceful, and free of intimidation, willful manipulations, contrived security scares; and it was absolutely conclusive, even though the ruling party was losing, and eventually lost”, Ekweremadu stressed.
Saraki in his message said: “On this day, I wish to extend my sincerest congratulatory remarks to U.S. President-Elect Donald J. Trump, on his remarkable victory in yesterday’s national election in the United States.
“Mr. Trump persevered through a very challenging Republican primary election cycle, where he defeated sixteen (16) professional and well-organized candidates. While many career politicians tried to write off Mr. Trump’s candidacy as a long shot, he stuck to his positions and controlled the daily media messaging like no other candidate in the history of American Presidential campaigns.
“Additionally, I must commend Mr. Trump for his gracious and courteous acceptance of Secretary Hillary Clinton’s phone call to concede the election. He recognizes that Secretary Clinton ran a courageous contest and was perhaps the most qualified candidate for President in decades. Having worked with Mrs. Clinton as a champion of the Global Alliance for Clean Cook Stoves, I can personally attest to her hard work and dedication to the less fortunate in our society. Secretary Clinton would have been a tremendous leader and we will all miss her dedication and commitment to public service.
“I look forward to working with President-Elect Trump to continue the strong U.S.-Nigeria relationship and to address our mutual interest in defeating global terror networks, rooting out corruption and strengthening the institutions of governance.
“Mr. Trump’s years of being a private sector leader can be invaluable to Nigeria as we work to restructure and diversify our economy. It is important for the private sector here to have a larger role in expanding our economic base, creating jobs and fostering entrepreneurship. In these areas, I am sure he will be able to serve as a strong partner.
“In closing, it is my hope and prayer that the United States can move beyond this election and heal the divisions that divide that great nation. Mr. Trump has an opportunity to be a unifying force and I believe his humble acceptance speech was a great beginning.”
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