Former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo, has described the emergence of Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah as the new and first female president of Namibia as a demonstration of the voice of the people.
According to Obasanjo, the good people of Namibia have spoken through their votes, leading to the emergence of Nandi-Ndaitwah.
The former Nigerian leader said he received the news with great delight.
Henzodaily had earlier reported that Namibia’s ruling SWAPO party had secured victory in last week’s contentious elections, marking a historic moment as Vice-President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah becomes the country’s first female president.
The Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) announced that Nandi-Ndaitwah, 72, captured just over 57% of the votes, while her closest rival, Panduleni Itula of the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC), garnered 25.5%.
Reacting in a statement on Wednesday by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Obasanjo expressed happiness that the people of Namibia voted for Nandi-Ndaitwah as their new president, thus making her the first female to be so elected in the country.
He charged her to uphold the mandate given to her by the people and wished the new Namibian president all the best in managing the affairs of the country.
He said, “No doubt, the good people of Namibia have spoken and have decided to repose their trust and confidence in your leadership, particularly as the first female President of Namibia.”
“By this clear victory, Namibians have not only given you a mandate to lead with the sound policies that will bring much socio-economic progress to the country but also to reassure you of their faith in your leadership, given your experience, background and resilience in the polity of Namibia which have undoubtedly prepared you for the great responsibility ahead as the leader of Namibia.
“I, therefore, wish you God’s guidance as you face, with vision and vigour, the challenges of lifting the nation up to greater heights. It is my hope that your assumption of office as President of Namibia will witness a further strengthening of the existing fraternal relations between our two countries and peoples.”