The All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday praised President Goodluck Jonathan for conceding defeat and congratulating Gen. Buhari, even before he was formally declared as the winner of Saturday’s presidential election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The opposition party described the President’s action as rare display of maturity and sportsmanship.
In a statement issued in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the APC also congratulated Gen. Buhari for his historic victory in the highly competitive presidential poll.
Applauding Nigerians for voting massively for the party and its standard bearer at the election, Mohammed said in the statement that the victory has ushered in a new dawn after a long and a dark night.
According to the statement, Gen. Buhari’s victory will make Nigeria work again, rekindle hope and bring succour to the long-suffering masses.
“Nigerians have used their votes to bring change. We hear their message loud and clear: They want a government that works, and will not hesitate to use the same votes to kick out any government that fails to deliver.’’ it said.
On Dr. Jonathan’s immediate response when the votes were being collated, the APC said: “By that singular act, which went a long way in dousing post-election tension, the President has snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, written his name in gold in the annals of Nigeria’s history and catapulted himself to a statesman.”
The party urged Nigerians, irrespective of their political leaning, to put the acrimonious electioneering campaign behind and forge a united front to tackle the enormous challenges facing the nation.
The statement reads: “The APC-led Federal Government will work for all Nigerians, whether or not they voted for us in the elections, or did not even vote at all. Our party will not discriminate against any Nigerian on the basis of religion, region, ethnicity or gender. We are all God’s own people.’’
“We will also appreciate a virile opposition, because it is indispensable in any democracy that is worthy of that nomenclature.
‘’Having been in opposition ourselves, we know what it means to keep the government of the day on its toes with very robust and constructive criticism, and we expect no less from those who have swapped places with us.’’
It also commended the media for staying true to its constitutional watchdog role, saying without the support of this Fourth Estate of the Realm, Nigeria may neither have enjoyed democracy nor sustained it.
Appreciating the Economic Community of West African Community (ECOWAS), African Union (AU), European Union (EU) and the United Nations (UN) for their support for Nigeria’s democratisation process, the party described the role of the entire international community as invaluable.
It said: “Equally worthy of our gratitude is the Civil Society. Working relentlessly under the umbrella Situation Room, civil society organisations played an unprecedented and very important role before, during and after the Presidential/National Assembly elections. We, and indeed all Nigerians, owe them a debt of gratitude for the success of the elections.
‘’Finally, and most importantly, we want to give glory to God for His divine intervention that has always pulled our country back from the brink, even at times when hope was in short supply and the night seemed so dark and unending.’’
