Acceptance Statement by General Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR,
President-Elect of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
April 1st, 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 labor 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, labor 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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