Gen. Buhari's acceptance speech below...
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 daylightof 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. Millionsof 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 celebratethis victory with prayers and reflection instead of wild jubilation.
May the souls of those who died rest inpeace. Let us take amoment of silence to honour all of those whose sacrificeshave brought us to this fine and historic hour. As the results of the electionhave shown, their labor has not been and will neverbe in vain. Democracy and the rule of law will be re-established in the land.
Let us put the past, especially the recent past, behindus. We must forget our old battles and past grievances—and learn to forge ahead. I assureyou that our government is one that will listen to and embrace all.
Ipledge myself and our in-comingadministration 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 rightsremain in safe hands. You shallbe able to voice your opinion without fear of reprisal or victimisation. My love and concernfor 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 whodid 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 raisedduring the campaign.I wish to state that through devotionto this nation, everything I have learned and done has been to enable me to make the best possiblecontribution 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 andconciliation to President Jonathan and his team. I hereby wish to state that I harbour no ill will against anyone.
Let me state clearlythat President Jonathan has nothing to fear from me. Althoughwe may not agree on the methodsof governing the nation, he is a great Nigerianand still our president. He deserves our supportand permanent respectby 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 shouldbe.
Ilook forward to meeting with PresidentJonathan in the days to come to discusshow our teams can make the transition of administrations as efficientas 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 refusingto be induced to undermine the election and the democratic process.
Ialso wish to thank religious Leaders, traditional leaders,the media, labor unions, Civil Society organisations, organisedprivate sector, youths and students for their roles in this election.
Igive special thanksto President Obama and his timelyintervention and supportfor peaceful and credible elections in Nigeria and for sending Secretary John Kerry and other United States officials. The European Union - especiallythe United Kingdom, France, Germany and other nationsthat were activelyinvolved in ensuringthe 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. Finallyour brothers in the AfricanUnion and ECOWAS have truly and clearly shown and demonstrate their commitment to our democratisation process. Former PresidentsJohn Kuffour, Amos Sawyer, BakiliMuluzi and his team are well appreciated. I must also add my appreciation for the role played by civil societies, national and International observers, other worldleaders in ensuringthat Nigeria holds free and fair elections.
Iassure all foreigngovernments that Nigeriawill become a more forceful and constructive player in the globalfight against terrorism and in other mattersof collective concern,such as the fight against drugs, climate change, financialfraud, communicable diseasesand 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 presidentChief Olusegun Obasanjo,General Yakubu Gowon, Alh. Shehu Shagari, GeneralIbrahim Babangida, Chief Ernest Shonekanand General Abdulsalami Abubakar deserve commendations for their statesmanship and words of caution and counselfor 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 tryingmoment. Our nationwrestles many challenges including insecurity, corruption, economicdecline. 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 nationhas suffered greatlyin the recent past, and its staying power has been testedto 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 collectivewill and commitment to rid this nation of terror, and bring back peace and normalcyto all the affected areas. We shall spare no effort until we defeat terrorism.
Furthermore, we shall stronglybattle 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 intendedfor the publicpurpose, corruption distorts the economyand worsens income inequality. It creates a class of unjustly-enriched people.
Such an illegal yet powerful forcesoon comes to undermine democracy because its conspirators have amassed so much money that they believethey can buy government. We shall end this threat to our economic developmentand 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 monumentin this nation.
Iask you to join me in resolving these and the other challenges we face. Along the way, there will be victoriesbut there may also be setbacks. Mistakes will be made. But we shall never take you for granted; so, be rest assured that our errorswill be those of compassion and commitment not of wilful neglectand 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.
Irealise that the expectation of our peopletoday is as high as their commitmentto change has been strongand their beliefin us unshaken. While we pledge to begin doingour best withoutdelay, we wouldlike to appeal to them to appreciate the gravity of our situation, so that we become more realisticin our expectations.
We will govern for you and in your interests. Your vote was not wasted. This is not the firsttime 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 Nigeriayou seek.
Thank you for your patience and attention.
General Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR
President-Elect,
Federal Republic of Nigeria
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