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Muhammadu
Buhari holds his Certificate of Return
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Muhammadu
Buhari, Nigeria’s president-elect, has been issued a Certificate of Return by
the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. The
chairman of INEC, Attahiru Jega, handed the certificate to Mr. Buhari, and the
vice president-elect, Yemi Osinbajo, on Wednesday.
Mr.
Buhari defeated President Goodluck Jonathan in the presidential election held
Saturday. Speaking
after receiving the certificate, Mr. Buhari said “Change has finally come” to
Nigeria.
He said Nigeria’s “long
night has passed”. FULL ACCEPTANCE SPEECH FOLLOWS...
The Die is Cast
Acceptance Statement by General Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, President-Elect
of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
April 1st, 2015
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 jubilation 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 victimization. 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 organizations, organized
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 realize 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
Federal Republic of Nigeria
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