President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday urged Nigerians to be patient as the nation continues to learn the democratic process.

Buhari made the call when he visited the Emir of his hometown, Daura, Katsina State, Alhaji Umar Faruk Umar, after attending the Juma'at service at the Low Cost Mosque in the town.

He said the nation was learning democratic tenets fast and that Nigerians should therefore be patient by avoiding mistakes made when studying the weaknesses and strengths of the Western nations.

The President, who spoke in Hausa, warned that if Nigerians decided to be too hasty, some avoidable mistakes could be made. He also urged them to accept democracy not as a system of government, but as a lifestyle in order to ensure development of the country.

The President said, "If Nigerians continuously follows the tenets of democracy, the country will always be at peace since democracy on its own with its institutions has the mechanism for resolving conflicts peacefully."

Buhari attributed his success in the March 28 presidential election to the grace of God. He recalled that when he joined politics in 2012, many people did not give him a chance because of his antecedents as a military officer.

The President added that the result of the 2015 polls showed that it is God that chooses who becomes a leader.

"It is not by power, it is not by wealth but by the Grace of God that I won the election," he said. Buhari said he did not contest the election with the aim of amassing wealth or to be served.

He explained that his decision to contest was as a result of his desire to serve the people. The President, however, promised to fulfil his electoral promises to the people.

Earlier, the emir hailed Buhari's integrity, saying he had always returned home penniless after his previous national assignments.