APC declares that Buhari will concede defeat if beaten in a free and fair contest tomorrow

NIGERIA'S ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) has declared that President Muhammadu Buhari would concede defeat if he is beaten in tomorrow's presidential elections if the contest is free and fair.

Tomorrow Nigeria goes to the polls to elect a president and members of the National Assembly with the race for Aso Rock being a two-horse race between President Buhari and former vice president Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Over recent weeks, the APC and PDP have been trading allegations about how the other side plans to rig the polls, raising the political temperature.

PDP officials have claimed that President Buhari will not concede defeat if he loses, accusing the APC of planning to plunge the nation into chaos if they lose. Debunking this claim, however, Waziri Bulama, the deputy director-general of the APC's campaign council, said President Buhari will concede defeat and congratulate whoever wins the race if the election is confirmed free, fair and credible.

Mr Bulama said: “The outcome of this election, if free, fair and credible would be accepted by President Muhammad Buhari and by the party. If we win, which is very, very likely we will congratulate Nigerians for having participated in a free, fair and peaceful election.

"Number two, we are not even going to celebrate or over-celebrate because an election success of President Muhammadu Buhari is another burden on him and this man would want to do more than he has done. So, we will humbly thank Nigerians for giving us their votes for another four years to build on what we have done.

“However, in the event Nigerians decided, in a free, fair and credible election to give their votes to another person, President Muhammadu Buhari will still thank Nigerians and will call the person that eventually won the election and congratulate him.”