TheCable

President Muhammadu Buhari says Goodluck Jonathan, his predecessor, contributed to the success of the 2015 general election.

Buhari said this while speaking at the Leadership award ceremony in Abuja on Thursday.

The newspaper honoured the president with the Leadership Person of Year award alongside Jonathan, and Attahiru Jega, former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“I am most delighted to be part of this occasion organised by the Leadership Newspapers Group to honour Nigerians who have excelled in their chosen fields of endeavour,” he said.

“Let me hasten to congratulate my joint award winners, my predecessor, His Excellency, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR and Professor Attahiru Jega, the former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, as ‘Leadership Person of the Year.’

“The events of 2015, which the Leadership newspaper has chosen to bring to the fore today, marked a watershed in the political history of our country.

“Those of us who were participating actors in the elections were led by the higher ideal of the future of our great country and the well-being of our people rather than the mere desire of politicians to win elections.

“​It is therefore our commitment to this ideal, the patriotic zeal of President Jonathan, the impartiality of the electoral umpire, INEC, and exemplary conduct of the political parties, foreign pressure and other actors that we collectively disappointed the prophets of doom who had predicted the disintegration of the country after the 2015 general election.”

Buhari added that Nigeria​’s democracy had been strengthened by the outcome of the 2015 election “as our people now have more faith in the electoral system in the sense that their votes would count when choosing political leaders at various levels.”

“We, the political class, should build on the experience of the 2015 election to nurture our democracy,” he said.