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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