Nigeria's outgoing president says promise kept on free, fair elections

Nigeria's outgoing president Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday said he has kept his promise of free and fair elections to the nation, after conceding his defeat in weekend's presidential poll.

According to official results, Muhammadu Buhari, candidate of Nigeria's opposition All Progressives Congress, has won the election, carrying 53.95 percent of the 28,587,564 total valid votes cast.It marked the first time that an incumbent is defeated in the country's presidential election.

"I have kept my word. I have also expanded the space for Nigerians to participate in the democratic process," Jonathan said in a statement, adding that his party should be celebrating rather than mourning.

"We have established a legacy of democratic freedom, transparency, economic growth and free and fair elections," he said.

He also made an effort to calm his supporters who may "feel aggrieved" about the result, urging them to follow due process based on the constitution and electoral laws of the country.

Noting Nigerians turned out en masse during the poll, Jonathan applauded the citizens' enthusiasm and commitment toward deepening democracy by successfully going through the process of general elections on Saturday.

The outgoing president on Tuesday conceded his defeat in the presidential election and made a surprise call to congratulate his successor, the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Muhammdu Buhari. Buhari confirmed to Xinhua that he received the call at exactly 5:15 p.m. local time.

Results of all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory Abuja has shown the opposition APC is leading in the 2015 presidential election.

Shehu Garba, spokesman for the opposition party's campaign organization,told Xinhua, "We have already won the election. The figures have shown we won and the ruling party cannot meet up with the figures." Endi