Nigeria's Jonathan Concedes Election Defeat

Nigeria's incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan officially conceded late Tuesday his defeat in the presidential elections.



"I have conveyed my personal best wishes to General Muhammadu Buhari," Jonathan said in a statement.



Buhari has won 21 states while Jonathan won 15 states in addition to the federal capital Abuja, according to the Independent National Election Commission (INEC).



The INEC is yet to announce the total number of votes each of the two presidential contenders had gathered.



But according to a tally by the Anadolu Agency based on official figures, Buhari has accumulated nearly 15.4 million votes while Jonathan has won nearly 12.8 million.



Buhari has earlier this evening thanked the Nigerian people for choosing him over Jonathan.



Buhari's campaign spokesman Garba Shehu told AA hours earlier that Jonathan had called General Buhari to congratulate him.



In his statement, the incumbent president congratulated the Nigerian people for the "successful" presidential elections.



"Although some people have expressed mixed feelings about the results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), I urge those who may feel aggrieved to follow due process based on our constitution and our electoral laws, in seeking redress," he said.



 "As I have always affirmed, nobody's ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian," asserted the incumbent president. "The unity, stability and progress of our dear country is more important than anything else."



Nigeria's newly elected president gets sworn on May 29, which is the handover date of the outgoing president.



It is a tradition taken up since 1999.



www.aa.com.tr/en - Lagos