President Bola Tinubu has congratulated Donald Trump on his re-election as the 47th president of the United States.

Trump is on the verge of being declared president-elect by the television networks.

In a statement by Bayo Onanuga, his special adviser on information and strategy, Tinubu said he looks forward to strengthening the ties between Nigeria and the United States “amid the complex challenges and opportunities of the contemporary world”.

The Nigerian leader added that Trump “will bring the world closer to peace”.

“Together, we can foster economic cooperation, promote peace, and address global challenges that affect our citizens,” Tinubu said.

“Trump’s victory reflects the trust and confidence the American people have placed in his leadership.”

The president also congratulated Americans on their commitment to democracy.

“President Tinubu believes that, given President Trump’s experience as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021, his return to the White House as the 47th president will usher in an era of earnest, beneficial, and reciprocal economic and development partnerships between Africa and the United States,” the statement adds.

“Acknowledging the United States’ influence, power, and position in determining the trend and course of global events, the Nigerian leader trusts that President Trump will bring the world closer to peace and prosperity.”

Donald Trump is now 24 electoral college votes away from winning the United States presidential election.

The Republican Party candidate has now amassed 246 electoral college votes, with Vice President Kamala Harris of the Democratic Party polling 210 electoral college votes at the time of reporting.

There are 538 votes in the electoral college and it takes 270 — a majority — to win the presidency.

Trump is now projected to win the battleground state of North Carolina and the swing state of Georgia, leaving Harris with a mountain to climb. There is currently no realistic pathway to a Harris victory.

A “hush” has descended on the Harris campaign headquarters, with various outlets reporting that the campaign would no longer be talking to the press until it is done and dusted.

The US presidential election has been a keenly contested one and was considered “neck-and-neck” and “too close to call” even before the first mail-in ballots were cast.

Immigration, border security and inflation were Trump’s strongest campaign points, while Harris campaigned on reproductive rights for women and building “an opportunity economy”.

Kemi Badenoch has been elected as the new leader of the UK’s Conservative Party.

The Nigerian-born Badenoch defeated Robert Jenrick in the month-long election, which was announced on Saturday.

She polled 53,806 votes against Jenrick’s 41,388 to succeed Rishi Sunak as Britain’s opposition leader.

With the victory, Badenoch becomes the first black person to become the leader of a major party in the UK.

She takes over a Conservative Party still reeling from the loss it suffered during the general election in July.

The 44-year-old served as shadow business and trade secretary since the Labour Party took over the Downing Street.

After her victory, Badenoch said the Tories led “standards slip,” adding that the party must “set of Conservative pledges that appeal to the British people” before the next election.

“We have to be honest – honest about the fact that we made mistakes, honest about the fact that we let standards slip. The time has come to tell the truth,” the new Tory leader said.

“The task that stands before us is tough but simple. Our first responsibility as His Majesty’s loyal opposition is to hold this Labour government to account.

“Our second is no less important. It is to prepare, over the course of the next few years, for government to ensure that by the time of the next election, we have not just a clear set of Conservative pledges that appeal to the British people, but a clear plan for how to implement them, a clear plan to change this country by changing the way that government works.”

Badenoch first showed interest in becoming the leader of the Conservative Party in 2022, but she was eliminated in the fourth round of voting.

Badenoch, who grew up in Nigeria, has a reputation within and outside the party for her outspoken stance against immigration. She has been vocal about support for colonialism.