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.
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