The Die is Cast Acceptance Statement
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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