Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof.
Attahiru Jega, has announced the candidate of the All Progressives
Congress, Muhammadu Buhari, as the winner of the presidential election.
This declaration was made around 3:40am on April 1, 2015.
Buhari defeated the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party,
President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, to emerge victorious at the polls.
While making the announcement, Jega declared “that Muhammadu Buhari,
having met the requirements of the law, is now declared the winner and
returned elected.”
Read below President Goodluck Jonathan’s official statement over the presidential elections result:
Fellow Nigerians,
I thank you all for turning out en-masse for the March 28 General
Elections. I promised the country free and fair elections. I have kept
my word. I have also expanded the space for Nigerians to participate in
the democratic process. That is one legacy I will like to see endure.
Although some people have expressed mixed feelings about the results
announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), I
urge those who may feel aggrieved to follow due process based on our
constitution and our electoral laws, in
seeking redress.As I have always affirmed, nobody’s ambition is worth the blood of any
Nigerian. The unity, stability and progress of our dear country is more
important than anything else.I congratulate all Nigerians for successfully going through the process
of the March 28th General Elections with the commendable enthusiasm and
commitment that was demonstrated nationwide.I also commend the Security Services for their role in ensuring that the elections were mostly peaceful and violence-free.
To my colleagues in the PDP, I thank you for your support. Today, the
PDP should be celebrating rather than mourning. We have established a
legacy of democratic freedom, transparency, economic growth and free and
fair elections.For the past 16 years, we have steered the country away from ethnic and
regional politics. We created a Pan-Nigerian political party and brought
home to our people the realities of economic development and social
transformation.Through patriotism and diligence, we have built the biggest and most
patriotic party in Nigerian history. We must stand together as a party
and look to the future with renewed optimism.I thank all Nigerians once again for the great opportunity I was given
to lead this country and assure you that I will continue to do my best
at the helm of national affairs until the end of my tenure.I have conveyed my personal best wishes to General Muhammadu Buhari. May
God Almighty continue to bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.I thank you all.
Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR
President,
Federal Republic of Nigeria
March 31, 2015