Nigeria's Goodluck Jonathan publicly concedes election defeat
Nigeria's Goodluck Jonathan has publicly conceded defeat to Muhammadu Buhari in the country’s presidential election.
"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," he said in a statement on Tuesday.
He added that he had conveyed his personal best wishes to General Buhari.
"I promised the country free and fair elections. I have kept my word," the 57-year-old said in a statement following the announcement of the final results in which Buhari was around 2.5 million votes ahead.
He went on to urge the court settlement of disputes over the election outcome rather than street violence.
"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," he added.
Buhari has vowed to end corruption and ensure peace and stability in the most populous nation of Africa.
Celebrations are being held over Buhari's victory at his All Progressives Congress (APC) headquarters in Abuja and in cities across the country’s north.
Jonathon called on the members of his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which has been in power since the end of military rule in 1999, to not despair.
"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 added.
Nigerians turned out en masse to vote in the presidential election over the weekend. The country’s almost 60 million registered voters also cast their ballots in parliamentary elections, with 739 candidates competing for a place in Nigeria’s 109-seat Senate and 1,780 seeking election to the 360-seat House of Representatives.
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