Nigeria president-elect Buhari says time to heal wounds

[Aljazeera]

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• Profile: Muhammadu Buhari

Nigerian presidential election winner Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated outgoing Goodluck Jonathan for peacefully relinquishing power, saying that it is time "to heal the wounds" in the country.

Speaking to reporters and supporters on Wednesday, Buhari acknowledged the hard work ahead in building bridges in Nigeria.

"I asked that we all be circumspect, respectful and peaceful ... We must begin to heal the wounds," he said.

"President Jonathan was a worthy opponent and I extend the hand of fellowship to him. We have proven to the world that we are people who have embraced democracy. We have put one-party state behind us."

Results announced on Tuesday, showed the 72-year-old defeated Jonathan in a win described by the UN as "testament to the maturity of Nigeria's democracy".

Nigeria's election explained in one minute

The margin of victory - Buhari got 15.4 million votes to Jonathan's 13.3 million - was enough to prevent any legal challenge.

In an unprecedented step, Jonathan called Buhari to concede defeat and issued a statement urging his supporters to accept the result, a signal of deepening democracy in Africa's most populous nation that few had expected.

"Nobody's ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian," he said in a statement issued after his election defeat.

The rules state he must officially handover on May 29.

Jonathan's People's Democratic Party (PDP) has been in charge since the end of army rule in 1999 but had been losing support due to several oil sector corruption scandals and killings by rebel group Boko Haram in the northeast. 

Former military ruler Buhari became the first Nigerian to defeat a sitting president through the ballot box.

Victory for Buhari marks the first time in Nigeria's history that an opposition party has democratically taken control of the country from the ruling party.

Al Jazeera's Haru Mutasa, reporting from Lagos, said there was shock that Jonathan had congratulated Buhari and that violence had not followed the announcement. In the 2011 election, more than 800 people were killed in protests after Buhari was defeated by Jonathan.

"The announcement has been greeted with celebrations across the country," Mutasa said. "Many people are excited and hope this will mark a new beginning and move the country forward."


See more - infographics, opinions, features, programs and context - on our dedicated Nigeria Decides page

Supporters of Buhari in Kano state celebrated his victory [Tom Saater/Al Jazeera]

Hundreds of Buhari's supporters gathered to celebrate outside his home in Abuja, with some brandishing brooms to symbolise his promise to clean up corruption.

His supporters told Al Jazeera that the vote was "free, fair and without irregularities" as the country ushered in a new era.

"We don't have roads, electricity and the youth are looking for jobs," one supporter said. "The people wanted change and change has now come."


"Nigeria has been reduced to a failed state." - What Muhammadu Buhari told Al Jazeera last month


Jonathan, whose five years in office have been plagued by corruption scandals and attacks by outlawed armed group Boko Haram, was trailing by around 500,000 votes before votes in pro-opposition areas were counted.

There was a brief protest by Jonathan's PDP before the counting had resumed on Tuesday.

Election commission chief Attahiru Jega said after the results were announced: "I don't believe that the allegations are substantial enough to require the cancellation or rescheduling of the elections in Rivers state. We will take the results."

International observers gave broadly positive reactions to the conduct of the vote, despite late delivery of election materials and technical glitches with new voter authentication devices.

Nigeria's Transition Monitoring Group, which had observers across the country, said: "These issues did not systematically disadvantage any candidate or party."

Buhari supporters celebrate in Kano [Reuters]

[color=#8e8e8e !important]Source:[/color] [color=#212121 !important]Al Jazeera[/color]