President-elect Muhammadu Buhari has assured President Goodluck Jonathan that he has nothing to fear.
Buhari, in his acceptance speech after being declared the winner of Saturday’s presidential election and presented with certificate of return in Abuja on Wednesday, said “despite the rancour of the elections,” he harboured no grudge against anyone.
To prove this, he extended “a hand of friendship and conciliation to President Jonathan and his team.”
Buhari read a prepared speech in which he also reiterated his determination to end insurgency in the North-East, rescue the economy and stem corruption which he described as an evil worse than terrorism.
The President-elect, who was Head of State between 1983 and 1985, said even though there could be a disagreement between him and Jonathan over governance, the President remained a great Nigerian.
He said, “Let me state clearly that President Jonathan has nothing to fear from me. Although we may not agree on the methods of governing the nation, he is a great Nigerian and still our president. He deserves our support and permanent respect by virtue of the office he has held.
“This is how an honourable nation treats its servants and conducts its affairs. I should be looking forward to meeting with President Jonathan in the days to come to discuss how our teams can make the transition of administrations as efficient as possible.”
On insurgency, he said, “No doubt, this nation has suffered greatly in the recent past, and its staying power has been tested to its limits by crises, chief among which is insurgency of the Boko Haram.
“There is no doubt that in tackling the insurgency, we have a tough and urgent job to do.
“But I assure you that Boko Haram will soon know the strength of our collective will and commitment to rid this nation of terror, and bring back peace and normalcy to all the affected areas. We shall spare no effort until we defeat terrorism.”
Reiterating his readiness to fight corruption which, according to him, constitutes a threat to “our economic development and democratic survival,” he said, “no longer shall it( graft) be allowed to stand as if it is a respected monument in this nation.”
He added, “We shall strongly battle another form of evil that is even worse than terrorism—the evil of corruption. Corruption attacks and seeks to destroy our national institutions and character.
“By misdirecting into selfish hands funds intended for the public purpose, corruption distorts the economy and worsens income inequality. It creates a class of unjustly-enriched people.
“Such an illegal yet powerful force soon comes to undermine democracy because its conspirators have amassed so much money that they believe they can buy government.
“We shall end this threat to our economic development and democratic survival. I repeat that corruption will not be tolerated by this administration.”
Appealing to Nigerians to join him in “ resolving these and the other challenges we face,” he stated that “along the way, there will be victories but there may also be setbacks.”
He added, “Mistakes will be made. But we shall never take you for granted; so, rest assured that our errors will be those of compassion and commitment not of wilful neglect and indifference.
“We shall correct that which does not work and improve that which does. We shall not stop, stand or idle.”
Buhari also said that his declaration as President-elect meant that the change many Nigerians had been yearning for had finally come.
“Today, history has been made and change has finally come. Your votes have changed our national destiny for the good of all Nigerians,’’ he said in the speech titled, ‘‘The die is cast.’’
Noting that the challenges ahead were many, the President-elect said, “We shall, if necessary crawl, walk and run to do the job you have elected us to do.”
He promised to deliver good governance and ensure that his administration did not rule Nigerians “as if they were subservient to government.”
Buhari also pledged that his government would respect the rule of law as nobody should be above the law.
The former military ruler said that he would treat those who voted against him and those who did not vote equally as those who voted for him on Saturday.
He said, “I pledge myself and our in-coming administration to just and principled governance.There shall be no bias against or favouritism for any Nigerian based on ethnicity, religion, gender or social status.
“I pledge myself and the government to the rule of law, in which none shall be so above the law that they are not subject to its dictates, and none shall be so below it that they are not availed of its protection.
“You shall be able to go to bed knowing that you are safe and that your constitutional rights remain in safe hands. You shall be able to voice your opinion without fear of reprisal or victimisation.
