Nkosazana Clarise Dlamini Zuma, chairperson of the African Union Commission(left)

African Union chief Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma on Wednesday congratulated Muhammadu Buhari for winning Nigeria’s presidential election, praising outgoing leader Goodluck Jonathan for “graciously accepting the results.”

Dlamini-Zuma, in a statement released at the Ethiopian headquarters of the 54-member AU bloc, said the result “demonstrates the maturity of democracy” in Nigeria.

The AU Commission chief added that she hoped the people “will be united in facing the challenges of stability, security and development in their country.”

Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said Buhari won 15,424,921 votes, or 53.95 percent, of the 28,587,564 total valid ballots cast.