The Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari, on Monday told State House correspondents in Abuja that he was shocked when the former President, Goodluck Jonathan, called him before the 2015 Presidential election was concluded to concede defeat.
He spoke during a Presidential Lunch for State House correspondents at the New Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa.
He said: “I underrated the influence of the PDP for 16 years watching from outside. The experience of the staff, their commitment and zeal is different from what it is now. 16 years of development in the life of a developing nation is a long time.
“This is where I pay my respect to former President Goodluck Jonathan. This is actually a privileged information for you. He called me at a quarter past five in the evening. He said ‘good evening your Excellency Sir’, and I said ‘good evening’.
“He said ‘I have called to congratulate you that I have conceded defeat’. Of course, there was dead silence on my end, because I did not expect it. I was shocked. I did not expect it because after sixteen years, the man was a deputy governor, governor, Vice President and was President for six years.
“For him to have conceded defeat even before the result was announced by INEC, I think it was a great generosity, a great patriotism.
“Abdulsalami recognised the generosity of Jonathan to concede defeat and said we should go and thank him immediately and that was the first time I came here.”
The President, however, described his experience in the villa during the hand over, as different from what he envisaged, maintaining that his administration did not meet any money on ground.
He also told the reporters that he would carefully work with the judiciary and the international community in the recovery of looted funds to ensure that all monies stolen by the past administration are fully recovered.
SEE: Historic Audio of President Jonathan’s Call To Congratulate Buhari [Listen]
