Election is not war, Buhari says after receiving INEC certificate of return

“Election is not war, and should never be seen as a do or die affair,” President Muhammadu Buhari said on Wednesday.

Mr Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) defeated Mr Abubakar of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Saturday’s presidential election.

The president scored 15,191,847, while Mr Abubakar polled 11,262,978.

Mr Buhari was declared winner early on Wednesday by the chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Mahmood Yakubu.

But Mr Abubakar and his party rejected the outcome of the election and said they will seek legal redress.

But speaking shortly after receiving his certificate of return from the INEC chairman, Wednesday, Mr Buhari called on his opponent to accept defeat.

“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,” he said.

The president said 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,” he said.

Mr Buhari said his government will remain inclusive and that all doors will remain open. That, he said, “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 president congratulated all the presidential candidates and their teams on a hard-fought campaign.

“We may have had different views during the campaign, but the one thing most of us have in common is love of our country and our desire to improve conditions for Nigerians”.

source: Premium Times Nigeria