President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday declared his re-election for a second term in office as the victory of all Nigerians and charged them to expect massive infrastructural development and economic prosperity that will take the country to his “Next Level” agenda.Shortly after he received his certificate of return as the winner of the 2019 presidential election at the International Conference Centre (ICC), Abuja, Buhari stated that “Nigerians will move to the next level.”The chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, presented the certificates of return to Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, at the event. In the brief ceremony, Buhari maintained that under his renewed mandate, “Nigeria will definitely move forward.”Earlier, Yakubu had said that Buhari, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) won the election with 15,191,847 votes while Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) got 11,262,978 votes to come second.In his speech, Buhari promised to tackle insecurity, improve the economy and fight corruption more than ever.
He said: “We will continue with the good things we have been doing and many areas stated in our manifestos will also be implemented.”The president, who commiserated with the families of those who lost their lives in the violence that trailed the electoral process, cautioned that “election is not war and must not be a do or die affair.”Buhari commended the doggedness of his other fellow contestants and urged them to accept defeat since their ambition was to serve Nigerians.He also admonished his supporters and members of the APC not to deride the opposition because of their defeat. The president expressed delight over the peaceful manner Nigerians conducted themselves during the election held last Saturday across the country.The president said: “I am grateful to God for sparing our lives to witness another milestone in Nigeria’s democratic development – namely conclusion of the presidential election in an overwhelmingly peaceful manner.“I wish, Mr. Chairman, to congratulate all the presidential candidates and their teams for a hard-fought campaign. We may have had different views during the campaign, but the one thing most of us have in common is the love of our country and our desire to improve the conditions of living for Nigerians,”
Buhari said.According to him, “from the comments of several observers both local and foreign, it is obvious that the elections were both free and fair. “Now that the elections are over, and a winner declared, we must all see it as a victory for Nigeria, our dear country. That was why I encouraged my teeming supporters, in a speech I read earlier today, not to gloat. Our God-given victory is enough cause for joy, without deriding those who were in the opposition. All Nigerians, going forward, must stand in brotherhood, for a bright and fulfilling future.“I therefore want to assure that we will continue to engage all parties that have the best interest of Nigerians at heart. Our government will remain inclusive and our doors will remain open. That is the way to build the country of our dream; safe, secure, prosperous, and free of impunity and primitive accumulation by those entrusted with public offices.“The hard work to deliver a better Nigeria continues, building on the foundations of peace, rule of law and opportunities for all. We will roll up our sleeves afresh, and give it our all. We have no other motive than to serve Nigeria with our hearts and might, and build a nation which we and generations to come can be proud of.”
“I am very grateful to the over 15 million citizens who voted for me, those who contributed in many ways in the running of our successful campaign, and those at home and abroad who expressed confidence in me and the APC government. I thank you all.“I can assure that you will see a country moving to the ‘Next Level’, as we consolidate on our fundamental areas of securing the country, reviving the economy, and fighting corruption,” he said.Buhari promised that many other focal areas, as stated in the party’s campaign manual, will be added to the good things he plans for the country.While paying tributes to those who lost their lives either through accidents or mindless violence during the elections, Buhari said: “My heart and thoughts are with the families of the victims. May God comfort and give them the fortitude to bear the loss. Election is not war, and should never be seen as a do- or-die affair. I pray that we all accept this democratic approach to elections, however contentious,” Buhari stated.African Leaders Congratulate PMBMeanwhile, African leaders have sent congratulatory messages to Buhari on his re-election.
This was contained in a statement issued yesterday in Abuja by the president’s spokesman, Mallam Garba Shehu.Shehu said that King Mohammed VI of the Kingdom of Morocco described Buhari’s victory as an affirmation of the level of confidence Nigerians have in him and promised to work with the president to advance the interests of both countries.King Mohammed said: ‘‘Your re-election is a testimony to the level of confidence that you enjoy among the people of Nigeria, attributable to your wisdom, experience in politics, sense of engagement and devotion to the service and the protection of the interests of the country, especially as they relate to the prosperity, wellbeing and security of your people.”The monarch expressed satisfaction with the existing cordial and fraternal African relationship linking the two leaders, their people, and nations.He reiterated his determination to work in concert with Buhari to reinforce the mutually beneficial relationship between Morocco and Nigeria and to give it a new impetus to serve as a model on the African continent.Also, President Alpha Omar Conde of Guinea described the re-election of President Buhari as a “dose of hope for the West African region.
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”Conde expressed confidence that the cordial relations between Nigeria and Guinea would continue to get better.Earlier, President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger Republic, who was the first leader to call Buhari minutes after INEC declared him the winner of the elections, said that he looked forward to working with the Nigerian leader to further strengthen Nigeria-Niger relations.President Buhari has also received congratulatory messages from Presidents Nana Koffi-Addo of Ghana and Macky Sall of Senegal.Also, the United Kingdom (UK) has congratulated Buhari for securing another term as president.In a statement issued by the British High Commission in Abuja yesterday, it quoted the minister of State for Africa, Harriett Baldwin, as saying: “I offer my congratulations to President Buhari on securing a second term as the Nigerian President. “The UK is a long-standing friend and partner of Nigeria and the Nigerian people and a stable and prosperous Nigeria benefits Africa and the world.”Baldwin commended Nigerians for their resilience and commitment to democracy.
She said the results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were consistent with the results obtained through the civil society Parallel Vote Tabulation process.Poll Grand Theft Of People’s Will – AtikuIn his first reaction to the outcome of the presidential election, the PDP candidate Atiku Abubakar yesterday, described the poll as a “grand theft of the people’s will.”He expressed the confidence that he would reclaim his mandate and asserted that the PDP had the real figures and facts from the election.While faulting Buhari’s victory at a press briefing in Abuja, Atiku said that the outcome of the poll was not legitimate enough to form a government because it does not reflect the will of the Nigerians.
He disclosed that he had told the chairman of the National Peace Committee (NPC) and former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, after the election that the military didn’t conduct elections as bad as what transpired last Saturday.Atiku, who decried the loss of N85billion at the Nigerian stock Exchange (NSE) market as a result of the outcome of presidential election, pleaded with foreign investors not divest from Nigeria.He appealed to them to be patient and keep faith with the Nigerians, stressing that their quarrel is with those who stole the mandate of the people.The former vice president, who thanked Nigerians for choosing democracy as the settlement system of government, said that “on election day, we saw the implementation of grand theft of the people’s will. I am not one for hyperbole so I will just let the facts speak for themselves.
“In Akwa Ibom State for instance, the result showed a statistical impossibility of a 62 per cent drop in voter numbers from the 2015 elections even where voter registration and Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) collection rate was much higher in 2015.“This is why voter suppression took place. You must recall, our party made this observation and complained before the elections that there were plans to implement voter suppression on PDP or opposition’s strongholds and voter increase in APC strongholds.“This pattern was repeated in strongholds of PDP including in states like Delta, Rivers, Abia and Benue State. As this was occurring, we saw another statistical impossibility where the real numbers tallied in numbers increased astronomically in Borno State by an almost miraculous 82 per cent in the midst of insecurity.
This pattern was also repeated in other strongholds of the APC states.“One begins to ask if insecurity is conducive to higher voter turnout and security is antithetical to high voter turnout. It is further curious that the PDP’s margin of victory in state outside the South East and South-South were extremely slim across board. That again is a statistical impossibility,” he said.Atiku stated that the numbers declared by INEC as results of February 23, 2019 elections, “do not add up at all.”He continued: “Let me say that I am not speaking as a member of PDP, I am speaking as a Nigerian when I said the electoral fraud perpetuated by the Buhari administration this past Saturday cannot produce a government of the people for the simple reason that it does not reflect the will of the Nigerian people.
“My dear Nigerians, it is for this reason that I Atiku Abubakar reject the result declared by the INEC which declared Muhammadu Buhari as duly returned by the majority of the lawful votes.“I am conferring with not just my party but also the Nigerian people on the next step which will be revealed to the public shortly. For my fellow Nigerians who feel angry, disillusioned and weighed down by the process, I appeal to you to remain calm and steadfast; Rome was not built in a day. We have the real figures and we have the facts that have spoken so loudly on Saturday, February 23, 2019.“As I have always said, this year is my three decades in Nigeria’s struggle for democracy. And this is the worst election in those 30 years. I told Gen. Abdsulsalami two nights ago when he called me that not even the military conducted such a worst election. This is a long journey but I am confident of victory.“All hope is not lost, stay strong.
By the grace of God, we shall triumph,” he said.The press briefing was attended by PDP national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, the party’s vice presidential candidate, Peter Obi, the director-general of PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation and Senate president, Dr. Abubakar Saraki and the Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara.Others were the chairman, PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), Walid Jibrin, former governor of Kano State, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, former governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu, Senators Ben Bruce and Dino Melaye.Accept Defeat In Good Faith, Agbakoba Urges AtikuTo former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Chief Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), Atiku should accept the outcome of the presidential election in good faith.Agbakoba, in a press statement he issued in Lagos, said although he recognised how tempting it is for Atiku to approach the election petitions tribunal over his loss, he should not take the option for the sake of a new Nigeria.The senior lawyer noted that voting pattern for the 2019 presidential election showed that ethnicity played a significant role.
He said: “I can see how tempting it is to take the option of the election petitions tribunal but that in my view is not the right decision. We look forward to a new Nigeria, strong and united; a new Nigeria that will not vote on the basis of ethnic and primordial sentiments.“President Muhammadu Buhari kept his base in the North while former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, largely held his base in the South.“Both the APC and the PDP benefitted from primordial voting. The excepted zone is the Southwest where voting occurred on the basis of issues.“The significance and consequence of the 2019 presidential election is huge unless we are able to reverse it. The year 2023 will follow the pattern of 2019 unless we do something about it.“I understand the PDP is aggrieved about the outcome of the election and alleged massive irregularities. But I urge former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, not to approach the tribunal. He might have moved backwards by his loss but he should not lose sight of the legacy and greatness that lies in front of him.“Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar is in a strong position to take up the mantle of a statesman. He can build a new Nigeria movement from the motley of small parties, third force actors, change actors and millions who are desperate for a strong, united Nigeria,” Agbakoba said.w
