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| President-elect Mohammadu Buhari: I extend a hand of friendship and conciliation to President Jonathan and his team. I harbour no ill will against anyone |
01 APRIL 2015
I am immensely grateful to God for this day and for this
hour. I feel truly honoured and humbled that the Nigerian people have so
clearly chosen me to lead them. The official announcement from INEC was the
moment the vast majority of Nigerians had hoped and been waiting for. Today,
history has been made, and change has finally come. Your votes have changed our
national destiny for the good of all Nigerians .
INEC has announced that I, Muhammadu Buhari, shall be your
next president. My team and I shall faithfully serve you. There shall no longer
be a ruling party again: APC will be your governing party. We shall faithfully
serve you. We shall never rule over the people as if they were subservient to
government.
Our long night has passed and the daylight of new democratic
governance has broken across the land. This therefore is not a victory for one
man or even one party. It is a victory for Nigeria and for all Nigerians.
Millions of you have worked for this day. So many have risked life and
livelihood; and others have died that we may witness this moment.
And it is with a very heavy heart that I report many deaths
and injuries amidst the jubilations yesterday. We send our sincere condolences
to the families and friends of those who lost their lives; and wish speedy
recovery to those who suffered injuries. I appeal to all our supporters to
celebrate this victory with prayers and reflection instead of wild jubilation.
May the souls of those who died rest in peace. Let us take a
moment of silence to honour all of those whose sacrifices have brought us to
this fine and historic hour. As the results of the election have shown, their
labour has not been and will never be in vain. Democracy and the rule of law
will be re-established in the land.
Let us put the past, especially the recent past, behind us.
We must forget our old battles and past grievances—and learn to forge ahead. I
assure you that our government is one that will listen to and embrace all.
I pledge myself and our in-coming administration to just and
principled governance. There shall be no bias against or favouritism for any
Nigerian based on ethnicity, religion, region, gender or social status. I
pledge myself and the government to the rule of law, in which none shall be so
above the law that they are not subject to its dictates, and none shall be so
below it that they are not availed of its protection.
You shall be able to go to bed knowing that you are safe and
that your constitutional rights remain in safe hands. You shall be able to
voice your opinion without fear of reprisal or victimisation. My love and
concern for this nation and what I desire for it extends to all, even to those
who do not like us or our politics. You are all my people and I shall treat
everyone of you as my own. I shall work for those who voted for me as well as
those who voted against me and even for those who did not vote at all. We all
live under one name as one nation: we are all Nigerians.
Some unfortunate issues about my eligibility have been
raised during the campaign. I wish to state that through devotion to this
nation, everything I have learned and done has been to enable me to make the
best possible contribution to public life. If I had judged myself incapable of
governing I would never have sought to impose myself on it. I have served in
various capacities and have always put in my best.
But despite the rancour of the elections, I extend a hand of
friendship and conciliation to President Jonathan and his team. I hereby wish
to state that I harbour no ill will against anyone.
Let me state clearly that President Jonathan has nothing to
fear from me. Although we may not agree on the methods of governing the nation,
he is a great Nigerian and still our president. He deserves our support and
permanent respect by virtue of the office he has held.
This is how an honourable nation treats its servants and
conducts its affairs; and this is how Nigeria should be.
I look forward to meeting with President Jonathan in the
days to come to discuss how our teams can make the transition of
administrations as efficient as possible.
Here, I want to thank my party for selecting me as its
candidate. I thank our party leaders and members for the steadfast
contributions they made to bring our dream to fruition. I thank INEC, the
police and all other government agencies for performing their tasks in a proper
manner and for refusing to be induced to undermine the election and the
democratic process.
I also wish to thank religious Leaders, traditional leaders,
the media, labour unions, Civil Society organisations, organised private
sector, youths and students for their roles in this election.
I give special thanks to President Obama and his timely
intervention and support for peaceful and credible elections in Nigeria and for
sending Secretary John Kerry and other United States officials. The European
Union – especially the United Kingdom, France, Germany and other nations that were
actively involved in ensuring the success of this election are equally
appreciated. My sincere thanks to the United Nations Secretary General Mr
Ban-Ki Moon. The Commonwealth, China, India and other Asian and Gulf states are
also hereby appreciated.
Finally our brothers in the African Union and ECOWAS have
truly and clearly shown and demonstrate their commitment to our democratisation
process. Former Presidents John Kuffour, Amos Sawyer, Bakili Muluzi and his
team are well appreciated. I must also add my appreciation for the role played
by civil societies, national and International observers, other world leaders
in ensuring that Nigeria holds free and fair elections.
I assure all foreign governments that Nigeria will become a
more forceful and constructive player in the global fight against terrorism and
in other matters of collective concern, such as the fight against drugs,
climate change, financial fraud, communicable diseases and other issues
requiring global response. I want to assure our fellow African nations that
Nigeria will now stand as a more constructive
partner in advancing the matters of concern to our
continent, particularly with regard to economic development and eradication of
poverty.
Former head of state and president Chief Olusegun Obasanjo,
General Yakubu Gowon, Alh. Shehu Shagari, General Ibrahim Babangida, Chief
Ernest Shonekan and General Abdulsalami Abubakar deserve commendations for
their statesmanship and words of caution and counsel for peace during the tense
moments of this electoral period.
Most of all, I thank the people of Nigeria for reposing
their confidence in me at this trying moment. Our nation wrestles many
challenges including insecurity, corruption, economic decline. I pledge to give
you my best in tackling these problems.
The good people of Nigeria, your obligation does not end
with casting your ballot. I seek your voice and input as we tackle these
problems.
This will not be a government democratic only in form. It
will be a government democratic in substance and in how it interacts with its
own people.
No doubt, this nation has suffered greatly in the recent
past, and its staying power has been tested to its limits by crises, chief
among which is insurgency of the Boko Haram. There is no doubt that in tackling
the insurgency we have a tough and urgent job to do. But I assure you that Boko
Haram will soon know the strength of our collective will and commitment to rid
this nation of terror, and bring back peace and normalcy to all the affected
areas. We shall spare no effort until we defeat terrorism.
Furthermore, we shall strongly battle another form of evil
that is even worse than terrorism—the evil of corruption. Corruption attacks
and seeks to destroy our national institutions and character. By misdirecting
into selfish hands funds intended for the public purpose, corruption distorts
the economy and worsens income inequality. It creates a class of
unjustly-enriched people.
Such an illegal yet powerful force soon comes to undermine
democracy because its conspirators have amassed so much money that they believe
they can buy government. We shall end this threat to our economic development
and democratic survival. I repeat that corruption will not be tolerated by this
administration; and it shall no longer be allowed to stand as if it is a
respected monument in this
nation.
I ask you to join me in resolving these and the other
challenges we face. Along the way, there will be victories but there may also
be setbacks. Mistakes will be made. But we shall never take you for granted;
so, be rest assured that our errors will be those of compassion and commitment
not of wilful neglect and indifference.
We shall correct that which does not work and improve that
which does. We shall not stop, stand or idle. We shall, if necessary crawl,
walk and run to do the job you have elected us to do.
I realise that the expectation of our people today is as
high as their commitment to change has been strong and their belief in us
unshaken. While we pledge to begin doing our best without delay, we would like
to appeal to them to appreciate the gravity of our situation, so that we become
more realistic in our expectations.
We will govern for you and in your interests. Your vote was
not wasted.
This is not the first time Nigerians have cast their votes
for us, and this is not the first time they have been counted; but this is the
first time that the votes have been allowed to count. With the help of God, we
pledge to do our utmost to bring forth the Nigeria you seek.
Thank you for your patience and attention.
GENERAL MUHAMMADU BUHARI GCFR
PRESIDENT ELECT
FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA"
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