The Acceptance Speech of General Muhammadu Buhari after INEC presented him with certificate of return inn details tagged ‘’The Die is cast’’
Acceptance
Statement by 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
every one 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, Alhaji 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,
and 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 willful 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
The Acceptance Speech of General Muhammadu Buhari after INEC presented him with certificate of return inn details tagged ‘’The Die is cast’’
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Wednesday, April 01, 2015
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