ABUJA (Sundiata Post) – President Goodluck Jonathan called the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari at 5.15 p.m on Tuesday to congratulate him on his victory at the Saturday’s presidential election.
Chairman of the National Peace Committee on 2015 Elections and former head of state, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, told State House correspondents at the end of the closed door meeting he had with members of the committee at about six 6 p.m on Tuesday.
Abubakar described the news which he said was relayed to him by Buhari himself when members of the committee were preparing to visit him and continue peace moves to ensure that there would be no electoral violence after the result of the election has been announced.
The former Head of State said Jonathan has proven that indeed no Nigerian blood is worth his ambition by conceding defeat, adding that the president would go down in the history of the nation as the first contestant to congratulate his rival on losing an election.
He said himself and members of the committee were elated by Jonathan’s action and called on all Nigerians including those celebrating and sorrowing to join hands with the President to peacefully handover to the next government.
Abubakar said, “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 that there were a lot of upheavals that 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 were going to see him, he told me that Mr. President has called him at about 5:15 p.m. 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 maintained a point that the blood of Nigerians is not worth his presidency and by his action he has proved that. He has proved 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 which ever way it is done. And he has proved this.
“And I think we need Nigerians, all of us to join hands in making sure we assist him in the peaceful handing over. And I will appeal to all politicians those who are celebrating and those who are sorrowing to please give peace a chance and to be moderate in their celebration. 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 stateman that he is, he has approved that he is a stateman and he has the love of this country in his heart. So Nigerians should please help him to ensure this is real.
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“For any Nigerian who is aggrieved, the electoral laws have procedures for seeking re-address, 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. So nobody should go and raise any eyebrow and cause any destabilisation of this country”.
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Other members of the committee that accompanied Abdulsalami were foremost entrepreneur, Alhaji Aliko Dangote; Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe; John Cardinal Onaiyekan; Primate of Anglican Church, Most Rev. Nicholas Okoh; Alhaji Muhammad Musdafa, Sen. Ben Obi and former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Dame Priscilla Kuye.
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