Damaturu – The Chairman of Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) in Yobe, Alhaji Umar Kukuri, advised Governorship candidates in next Saturday’s election, to emulate the sportsmanship of President Goodluck Jonathan, by accepting defeat if they lost in a transparent election.
Kukuri, who made the call at a press conference in Damaturu, said Jonathan’s courageous action had opened a new chapter in Nigeria’s democracy.
“If the president can concede defeat, there is no candidate that is too big to concede defeat after losing election.
“Let us be reminded that in every election, there must be winners and losers; we should, in the spirit of sportsmanship as exemplified by President Jonathan, accept election results in good faith” he said.
He commended the people of the state for their courage and determination, who turned out massively to participate in the elections, in spite of the security challenges.
He also commended security agencies in Yobe, for discharging their duties with high sense of patriotism and professionalism during the elections.
The chairman lauded the use of card readers by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), saying it had reduced election rigging substantially.
He however called on the commission to address the problem of logistics and the inability of the card readers to capture finger-prints in some areas.