President Goodluck Jonathan has said he kept his promise of conducting free and fair elections in the country and asked anybody who is aggrieved by the results of the 2015 elections to follow due process and seek redress in court.
The President stated this in his concession speech after the announcement of the presidential elections result by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, which saw Mohammadu Buharai of the All Progressives Congress, APC, emerge winner.
“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,” the President said in a statement released on Tuesday.
Jonathan urged aggrieved persons to follow the appropriate means seeking redress, stressing that the peace and unity of the country is paramount.
“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,” he advised.
The President reaffirmed his belief that “nobody’s ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian, adding that the “the unity, stability and progress of our dear country is more important than anything else.”
He thanked his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the support it gave him and also for contributing to deepening democracy in the country.
“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,’ he stated.
Speaking further, President Jonathan said: “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.”
While thanking Nigerians for the privilege to serve, Jonathan said he had conceded defeat and congratulated Buhari, the winner of the presidential election.