Delegation of African Union and ECOWAS met with Presidential Candidate of APC, General Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja on Monday, 31 March 2015.
L-R: Former Liberia President, Mr. Amos Sawyyer, former Ghanaian President, Mr. John Kufuor, Muhammad Ibn Chambas; APC Presidential Candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, Bukili Mukuzi and others during a visit by the delegation that have come to monitor the Saturday Presidential and National Assembly elections in Nigeria. [myad]
Former President Atiku Abubakar and former United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan have sent a congratulatory message to the Presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari, for being elected the next president of Nigeria. They also commended President Goodluck Jonathan, who contested with Buhari and lost, for his maturity and courage.
Atiku recalled that the great Nnamdi Azikiwe once wrote that “history will continue to vindicate the just.” Your victory in the polls, with votes from across the length and breadth of our country, bears witness to the acceptance of not just our party, the APC, but also your ideology of justice, fair play and zero tolerance for corruption as the bedrock for national rebirth.
“At this historic moment, it is most important to say a hearty thank you to every Nigerian who voted for the APC. Your votes have not just elected the first opposition party into federal power, but has also set a precedent which will have positive implications for democracy across Africa.
“Dear GMB, the journey has just begun. Millions of Nigerians have put their trust in you, because they were not satisfied with the status quo. You represent the hope of a new generation of Nigerians, and you cannot afford to fail them. Our party has made a promise of change to our young people, to secure and rebuild our country, create jobs and opportunity, and improve citizens’ welfare. We will stand behind you to ensure we keep those promises, just like we did during these elections.
“Our country needs a new direction. We have voted for you, and our party won the election, but when you assume our highest office, you must become the president of not just the APC, but all of Nigeria, including the people who did not vote for you. We look up to you to heal the fractures of our country, and truly unite this country like never before.
“To President Jonathan, I want to specially thank you for conducting a historic election. Your party may have lost the elections, but you have won the admiration of the world by not interfering with the wishes of Nigerians. History will be kind to you.
“It is my sincere hope that we will all come together as one country, to build the Nigeria of our dreams. Kofi Annan wrote on his facebook wall: “The Nigerian people have spoken, and they have elected General Muhammadu Buhari. I offer him my warmest congratulations on his electoral success.
“At the same time, I wish to express great appreciation to President Goodluck Jonathan for his service to the nation and for accepting the electoral outcome in a democratic spirit.
“My congratulations go as well to Professor Attahiru Jega and the Independent National Electoral Commission for their extraordinary efforts to ensure that the elections were held in a transparent manner as well for ensuring that most Nigerians had the opportunity to cast their vote.
“My thanks extend as well as to the many thousands of poll workers, electoral observers, party agents and civil society organisations who helped to ensure that these elections succeeded despite many difficulties.
“I also commend the security services for ensuring security and calm during the electoral process.
“The Nigerian people have exercised their democratic rights. Despite the threat from Boko Haram, voters came out to cast their votes. At some polling stations, even though they were attacked, voters came back to vote. That shows the determination of the people of Nigeria to have a say in how they are governed, and by whom.
“I hope, therefore, that the will of the people will not be marred by violence in the days ahead. I call on all Nigerians to respect the results and seek redress, if need be, through appropriate and peaceful means.
“The president elect will assume office at a difficult juncture in Nigeria’s fortunes. He will need the support of every Nigerian and the international community to steer the country through these turbulent times. To do so, he must govern as the president of all Nigerians, and avoid any “winner-takes-all” tendency, while also respecting the role of the opposition.
“I wish President-elect Buhari and the Nigerian people every success as they embark on their journey of national renewal.”
Former Nigeria Head of State, General Abdusalami Abubakar, has commended President Goodluck Jonathan for conceding defeat and congratulating General Muhammadu Buhari on his victory in theSaturday’s presidential election.
Abubakar who spoke to newsmen at the Presidential Villa, Abuja today shortly after leading members of the National Peace Committee for the 2015 general elections to a closed-door meeting with Jonathan at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said that Buhari had earlier told him that Jonathan called him at about 5.15pm to congratulate him.
He said that they were in the Presidential Villa to thank Jonathan for his statesmanship, the former military leader urged all stakeholders to emulate Jonathan’s sportsmanship.
“We are here to ensure peace is maintained at this moment. We thank Nigerians and all international community who came to support us during the elections.
“The elections have been very peaceful despite the hitches here and there. At the end of the elections, at the counting, there are a lot of upheavals that have happened but thankfully they have been contained.
“We were at the middle of a meeting with the international observers to try to see how we can still water the tension down when gladly I called Gen. Buhari that we are going to see him. He told me that Mr. President has called him at about 5.15 pm and congratulated him and conceded defeat.
“We were spellbound and the reason we have come here is to thank President Jonathan for this statesmanship.
“In the history of Nigeria, I think this is the first time where a contestant has called his rival to congratulate him and through this point, President Jonathan maintains a point that the blood of Nigerians is not worth his Presidency and by his action, he has proven that.
“He has proven that he is a man of his word, because during our interaction on this peace committee, he has always maintained that he is going to accept the result of the elections whichever way it is done. And he has proven this.”
General Abubakar advised all Nigerians to join hands and assist the President in peaceful handing over, adding that all politicians, those who are celebrating and those who are ruing their loss, to give peace a chance.
The former Head of State said, “In any contest, there is always going to be a winner and President Jonathan has accepted that he lost and we want to thank him on behalf of Nigerians.
“I want to thank President Jonathan for being the statesman that he is, he has proved that he is a statesman and he has the love of this country in his heart. So, Nigerians should please help him to ensure this is real.
“For any Nigerian, who is aggrieved, the electoral law has procedures for seeking redress, so if anybody has any grievance, he should apply through the law.
“I appeal again to our youth, to everybody to please give peace a chance and accept that the chief contestant himself has accepted.”
Presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari has cautioned his supporters not to cause harm to fellow Nigerians as they jubilate over his electoral victory.
A statement from the Director of media and publicity for his campaign organization, Garba Shehu today, quoted General Buhari as saying that whoever causes harm to fellow Nigerians in the process of jubilating over his success in the Saturday election is not of him.
He emphasized: “he or she is not with me, whoever involved in the molestation of opponents or the destruction of their property.”
Buhari said that the mood of the country as well as its current state did not warrant the type of wild celebrations reportedly going on in some cities across the country.
He is due to make a major acceptance speech in the coming hours .
President Goodluck Jonathan, who has just been defeated in the Presidential election held last Saturday by the Presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari has also been disowned by his fire-spitting brother, Alhaji Mujahideen Asari Dokubo.
Dokubo, who was the leader of one of the Niger Delta fighter force, known as Nigeria Delta Volunteer Force (NDVF), made it clear today that he was not the creation of Jonathan.
The former militant, even before the formal announcement of the final result of the Presidential election, took to his twitter page to literally disclaim his once-beloved-Jonathan.
He wrote: “I’m not a creation of Jonathan, before Jonathan, there was Asari, after him there will be Asari. I’m a friend to any government in power…
Dokubo had, before the election, threatened fire and brim stone, vowing that the nation will boil if Jonathan is defeated.
The management of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has made it clear that no corps member was killed on election duty in the recent attacks by insurgents in Gombe State. A statement issued by the Director of Press and Public Relations in the NYSC secretariat, Mrs. Bose Aderibigbe, said the report of the death of two youth corps members in the attack was false. The statement debunked the recent media report, saying that it was not only misleading but unfounded, adding: “Management categorically wants to state that no corps member in Gombe died in the said attack by suspected insurgents. “The two names carried in the report as corps members who lost their lives were INEC’s ad-hoc staff and not corps members as reported.” The statement said that the management of the NYSC, however, commiserated with the families of those who lost their lives in the said attack. It restated the commitment of NYSC management to the security and safety of all corps members nationwide including those on election duty. It would be recalled that two INEC ad-hoc staff were reported killed in an attack by suspected insurgents in Gombe last Saturday. There were over 130, 000 corps members that were expected to participate in the 2015 general elections across the country.
The Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, who before the last Saturday election, called the Presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari all sorts of bad names, today, described the same Buhari as a dogged and resilience fighter. “I salute President Jonathan for laying the most solid foundation for democracy in Nigeria. And I salute Major General Buhari for being a resilience and dogged fighter Fayose who had been a burden on the APC Presidential candidate, in a statement he issued today, called on Nigerians to accept the outcome ofSaturday’s presidential election in good faith. The Ekiti fire-spitting governor asked Nigerians to regard “the election result as the will of God” and said that Nigerians, and all lovers of peace, progress and development of Nigeria must accept it”. The statement which was issued by Fayose’s Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, quoted the governor as commending the resilience and commitment of President Jonathan and General Buhari. The governor emphasised that the election results should not been seen as victory or loss for any political party, adding: “to me, Nigerians and democracy won.” He praised Nigerians for believing in the democratic process, adding that “by this election, Nigerians have shown that Democracy has come to stay in the country. “I salute Nigerians, especially the great people of Ekiti State. “I urge Nigerians, irrespective of their ethic, religious and political affiliation to respect the outcome of the election in the interest of peace, progress and development of the country. “Nigeria as a country is greater than any individual or group and it is my plea that no one should do anything to rock the boat of peace in the country.”
A former Minister of Niger Delta in President Goodluck Jonathan government, Godsday Orubebe made frantic move today to stop Professor Attahiru Jega form going ahead with announcement of theSaturday/Sunday Presidential, National Assembly members’ election, throwing the Collation Centre into a theatre of absurd. This is even as All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Organisation described the action as being typical of PDP, asking Nigerians to be vigilant and prayerful so that the process would be carried to its logical conclusion.
Shortly after Professor Jega reconvened the meeting for the second day of collation, Orubebe grabbed the microphone and raged at the electoral umpire in the full glare of camera and the international TV audience. Not even the intervention of security personnel in the hall would assuage the former minister who accused Jega of working for the opposition APC. He called Jega a partial umpire who is tribalistic, stressing that the PDP has no confidence in what he was doing.
He queried the logic behind the results from Katsina, Kano, Kaduna which the PDP alleged were forged to suit the APC candidate.
According Orubebe, a petition was sent to the INEC chairman by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), requesting for investigation into the results released from key northwest states of Katsina, Kano, Jigawa and Kano, but was not accepted by the chairman.
He also said that a petition sent by APC regarding the election in Rivers State was promptly acted on and a team dispatched to the state to investigate.
Orubebe created an ugly scene, insisting that collation would not go ahead as they have lost confidence in the INEC chairman.
Reacting, Professor Jega dismissed the allegation, saying one Dr. Bello Fadile, a PDP agent contrary to the rule gave a petition to his PA from the PDP after yesterday’s session.
However, Jega said he asked his PA to return the document as all letters/petitions are to be submitted through the secretary of the Commission and not at the collation centre.
Jega also dismissed accusation that he gave results to APC that the party has released same
on its website.
“As as I sit with you now, I have not received anything (PDP petition) from the secretary.
“For you to engage me on this issue frankly, is not fair to me. Let us not disrupt a process that has ended peacefully”.
The collation however continued afterwards with Jega upholding the result from Rivers State.
Meanwhile, the Director of Media and Publicity to APC Presidential Campaign Organisation, Garba Shehu urged Nigerians not to under-rate the frustrations of Orubebe and PDP people, adding that Nigerians should anticipate that they will not hesitate to do the unthinkable to subvert the course of the electoral process and, indeed, democracy in the country.
“Much as disgraceful as the action by Elder Orubebe was this morning, it typifies the kind of things Nigerians should expect from the PDP and its agents, in an expression of their desperation and pent-up frustrations with the popular decisions of Nigerians in the March 28 Presidential and National Assembly elections.
“We wish to alert that Orubebe’s drama aimed at disrupting the announcement of the results of the presidential election is just act one scene one in a plot that has many more acts and scenes ahead. The elements of the drama might involve a breach of law and order.
“We therefore call on Nigerians to be watchful, vigilant, and prayerful and remain resolute to protect our democracy from the machinations of agents-provocateurs.”
Foreign observer teams, who went round the country as votes were being cast in the Saturday election have commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for what they described as its impartial handling of Saturday’s polls.
This is just as the governments of Britain and United States of America have expressed concern that the collation process of results may be subjected to deliberate political interference, even though there has been no evidence of a systemic manipulation of the election process.
While shying away from making a clear-cut pronouncement on the conduct of the presidential and National Assembly elections, the European Union Election Observation Mission (EUEOM) noted that despite challenges recorded, INEC appears to have executed its duties impartially.
It also observed that despite the challenges, the mission did not observe any systematic subversion, and that nationally people were free to cast their votes.
The Chief Observer of EUEO Mr. Santiago Fisas Ayxela, while presenting the first preliminary statement of the mission in Abuja yesterday, however, noted that it has reports of violence in some places, delay in arrival of INEC officials and voting materials, malfunction of card readers, ballot snatching and Boko Haram attacks.
“We still have observers out overseeing events at collation centres which in my opinion is extremely critical, and we are watching this,” he said.
He disclosed that his mission would present its final report with recommendations for improvement in two months’ time.
The Deputy Chief Observer, Ms. Hannah Roberts, also added that it was not the speed at which the results are announced that is critical, but the credibility and integrity of the final results.
She said it would be necessary to reform Nigeria’s electoral laws to allow independent candidacy, regulation of campaign finance, and transparency and opportunity for remedy. In a similar manner, the Commonwealth Observer Group described the polls as generally peaceful and transparent but noted that there was room for improvement in the elections.
Presenting the preliminary report of the 10-man team, the Chairperson of the Group/former President of Malawi, Dr. Bakili Muluzi, expressed concern that persons performing election duties and essential services on polling day were unable to vote leading to their disenfranchisement.
He however commended Nigerians for showing commitment and determination by the huge turnout.
“The presidential and National Assembly elections were generally peaceful and transparent,” Muluzi said.
After their preliminary remarks on the election, international observer teams proceeded to meet with President Goodluck Jonathan at the presidential villa on Monday.
The observers, who spoke through former Ghanaian President John Kuffour, said the election was peaceful and transparent. Those who were at the presidential villa included the former Malawian president, who led the Commonwealth team, former President Amos Sawyer of Liberia, who led the African Union team, and Kuffour, leading the ECOWAS team.
Kuffour, who spoke to State House correspondents after the meeting with Jonathan, said: “We have been in the country with our groups observing all over the country. Now, we have come to a point where from what we have seen. I’m sure you heard from some of us yesterday (Sunday) that the elections have been peaceful, transparent and credible up till yesterday.
“We appreciate the processes are not yet done till the results are declared then of course the aftermath of the declaration.
“But we have come this far and we wanted to give an interim report to the authorities that mandated us to come, and to the world and to Nigerians in particular, to let everybody know that Nigeria so far has been at peace with the process and so we appeal to Nigeria to continue in this mood throughout the entire process.
“So that at the end of the day, the people of Nigeria will be satisfied with themselves that they used the process to get the government they want and they deserve.
“Nigeria succeeding will not only be in Nigeria but for West Africa and the continent, and we will all be made proud of the success achieved by Nigerians for themselves and for all of us.”
However, the US and UK governments on Monday expressed concern that the collation process of results might be subjected to deliberate political interference, even though there has been no evidence of a systemic manipulation of the election process.
In a joint statement by US Secretary of State John Kerry, and UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, both governments commended the determination of Nigerians to register their votes.
“So far, we have seen no evidence of systemic manipulation of the process. But there are disturbing indications that the collation process—where the votes are finally counted—may be subject to deliberate political interference.
“This would contravene the letter and spirit of the Abuja Accord, to which both major parties committed themselves.
“The Governments of the United States and the United Kingdom would be very concerned by any attempt to undermine the independence of the INEC, or its chairman, Professor Jega; or in any way distort the expressed will of the Nigerian people,” said a statement released by the US Embassy in Abuja yesterday. [myad]
Presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari is now leading in 10 states of the federation with a total votes of 8,523,445 in the last Saturday Presidential election as announced by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). In the results so far released by the INEC as at 11.30pm yesterday, the Presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the incumbent President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan is leading in nine states with a total of 6,490,210 votes. According to INEC, the results for the remaining 17 states would be announced by 10am today. The results which were announced are as follows: The margin between APC and PDP stands at 2,033,235 votes. 1. Ogun: APC- 308,290 PDP- 207,950 2. Enugu: APC- 14,157, PDP- 553,003 3. Ekiti: APC 120,331 PDP 176,466 4. Kogi: APC- 264,851, PDP- 149,987 5. Osun: APC- 383,603, PDP- 249,929 6. Ondo: APC-299,889, PDP-251,368 7. FCT Abuja: APC-146,399, PDP-157,195 8. Oyo: APC- 528,620, PDP-303,376 9. Nasarawa: APC-236,838, PDP-273,416 10. Kano: APC:1,903,999, PDP:215,779 11. Jigawa: APC:885,142, PDP:142,904 12. Kastina: APC:1,345,441, PDP:98,837 13. Kwara: APC:302,146, PDP:132,602 14. Kaduna: APC:1,127,760, PDP:484,085 15. Anambra: APC:17926, PDP:660,762 16. Abia: APC:13,394, PDP:368,303 17. Imo: APC:133,253, PDP:559,185 18. Plateau: APC:429,140, PDP:549,615 19. Akwa Ibom: APC:58,411, PDP:953,304 States which results would be announced this morning are as follows: Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Gombe, Kebbi, Lagos, Niger, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, Zamfara, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyin, Edo and Rivers. [myad]
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