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. Page 1 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 biasagainst 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. Page 2 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 histeam 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. Page 3
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. Page 4 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