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Former UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan has expressed the hope that newly-sworn in Nigeria President will govern the nation in a democratic spirit.

In a statement, Kofi Annan said former President Goodluck Jonathan "has paved the way for peaceful transition and it now befalls on Buhari to govern in a democratic spirit, strengthening public institutions and ensuring that forthcoming elections at local or parliamentary level do not revert to the old ways.”

Muhammadu Buhari was on Friday sworn in as President of Nigeria after keenly contested elections in March.

The former UN General Secretary in his statement said ex-President Goodluck Jonathan “deserves much credit for conceding defeat promptly and elegantly.”

Kofi Annan however said he is hoping that the recently held peaceful elections in Nigeria were “not a lucky exception but instead signal a new democratic departure from which other countries in Africa and beyond can draw inspiration as they too face the complicated and sometimes perilous challenge of managing political transition.”


Read a copy of Kofi Annan's statement below.....


For the first time in Nigeria’s history, an elected president is today handing power to another elected president following an election that was, by and large, free, fair and comparatively peaceful. President Goodluck Jonathan, in particular, deserves much credit for conceding defeat promptly and elegantly.

I was present when, just three months ago, Jonathan and his main opponent, the incoming president General Muhammadu Buhari, agreed to peaceful presidential elections by signing an inter-party agreement. This committed them and their parties to taking active measures to prevent electoral violence before, during and after the elections. They also agreed to respect the outcome of the ballot. It was an important message, reassuring to both Nigerians and their neighbours, and myfoundation and I were pleased to add our support to the electoral effort.

But was this message heard beyond Nigeria’s borders?

The spread of elections across the world has been one of the most dramatic changes I have witnessed over the course of my career. In country after country, people have risked their lives to be able to vote. Elections are the indispensable tool of democracy.

But in recent years, flawed elections have often eroded the trust of citizens in the democratic process. Election-related violence in countries as disparate as Egypt, Ukraine, Thailand and more recently Burundi demonstrated how elections, which are meant to promote stability and facilitate the peaceful transfer of power, can become divisive if the process is not handled professionally, transparently and with integrity. It is not surprising that when elections are seen as a mere technical exercise enabling a person or a group to accede to or remain in power in an otherwise wholly undemocratic context, they quickly become a source of disillusionment and violence.