ACCEPTANCE SPEECH BY MALLAM NASIR AHMAD EL-RUFAI, OFR, GOVERNOR-ELECT, KADUNA STATE, FOLLOWING THE APRIL 11, 2015 GOVERNORSHIP ELECTIONS

1. ACCEPTANCE SPEECH BY MALLAM NASIR AHMAD EL-RUFAI, OFR,
GOVERNOR-ELECT, KADUNA STATE, FOLLOWING THE APRIL 11, 2015
GOVERNORSHIP ELECTIONS
“Time to Make Kaduna Great Again”
Dear people of Kaduna state, I want to begin this address by thanking the Almighty
God, who made it possible for us to carry out our civic responsibility across
Kaduna state in a peaceful manner for the most part. My utmost gratitude also
goes to God for giving me the mandate to steer the affairs of our state through your
votes. I thank you very much.
Dear compatriots, you have spoken. You have spoken with a loud voice and voted
for change. You have voted for unity. You have voted for genuine development and
growth. The outstanding victory we achieved at the polls on April 11 happened only
because you came out in numbers to cast your votes and waited patiently to
protect your votes until the results were announced.
I thank you all. We also thank all the institutions and agencies that made it
possible for us to have peaceful, transparent and credible elections. Those
fundamentals form the basis of democracy, transparent governance and
accountability with which we undertake to govern our state henceforth.
On behalf of the APC, we express our profound gratitude to you for investing in us
your hopes for the future. You voted massively to elect General Muhammadu
Buhari as president of Nigeria, and you saw fit to send two APC senators and 11
representatives to the National Assembly. On Saturday, you completed the job by
electing an APC governor and a more than two-thirds majority of state House of
Assembly members. We thank you for this vote of confidence, and we promise to be
responsible custodians of your mandate.

2. It has been hard work building the APC as a formidable party, and mobilizing the
people to understand and embrace our message of change. In undertaking this
campaign, we stuck to the issues doggedly, exposing what is wrong and outlining
our plans to change them. We engaged in competitive campaigning and banter but
never insulted or abused any person or official. For us, it was a grueling campaign
as we engaged with ordinary people across the vast swathes and divides of our
state.
The campaign period is now over. We have no time to exult in our victory. There is
so much to do to make Kaduna great again. We need to begin the hard work of
change. As leader of the APC Kaduna Change Team, I assure you that we shall do
our best to restore Kaduna State to a state that works for you. We shall be doing so
under serious constraints. Our state is heavily indebted at a time when oil prices
are low. Our state has not seen significant development in the last eight years. We
must work twice as hard with half the resources of the last eight years just to catch
up with our neighbors. We must be disciplined, focused and prudent to do so.
In accepting my election as governor of Kaduna state, I pledge to do all that is
humanly possible to move our dear state forward, beginning from today. As soon I
am sworn into office and constitute a state executive council, we shall begin work
to meet your expectations of positive change.
We are aware of your justifiably high expectations of our government. We will do
our utmost to meet them. But we shall need your patience, sacrifice and support as
we reform Kaduna state institutions to instill a culture of probity that insists on
value for money that ensures that government procurement occurs at the most cost
effective level and encourages personal responsibility. We will do whatever is
humanly possible to fulfill the promises in our manifesto, the Kaduna Restoration
Programme that we have published, circulated and discussed with diverse
constituencies of the state. Our commitment to transparency will be manifest as we
reform the public sector to be an efficient deliverer of services.

3. The APC takes seriously its responsibility to build a harmonious society in Kaduna
State. We are committed to fostering a secure, peaceful environment that gives the
confidence to all the residents of the state to make the most of their talents. We will
uphold the rule of law and the equality of concern for all citizens. We intend to
work with all communities in Kaduna state without fear or favor. We are all equal
partners and stakeholders in this state. There will be no discrimination in Kaduna
State on the basis of gender, ethnicity or religion. Appointments and nominations
into the incoming cabinet and government will be primarily on the basis of integrity
and determined strictly by competence, capacity and capability.
We shall be a listening government, and we shall be decisive in implementing our
agreed agenda for change. We shall lose no time in reforming education and
healthcare, local government, the public service and leading the processes that will
create jobs and economic opportunities for our people.
I thank all those who made it possible for this day to happen, and commend the
leaders and supporters of both the APC and PDP who ensured that the peace
accord we signed before the elections was observed in most of the state. That is a
reflection of the new Kaduna we want to build – a place where whatever differences
of opinion that we may have are resolved peacefully, with mutual respect and
dignity. It also reinforces my conviction that human life is too valuable to waste
simply because of political differences or ideological affiliations.
I want to seize this opportunity to pay tribute to all the citizens of Kaduna State
who gave their time, money and even their lives to make this change possible. May
the souls of the nine APC supporters that lost their lives to thuggery rest in perfect
peace. We pray that those wounded and are still in hospital have very quick
recovery. We pledge to prosecute without exemption any one, no matter how high
or low, involved in electoral violence to serve as deterrent to others and reinforce
our commitment to the rule of law.

4. At exactly 3pm on Sunday, I received a phone call from Governor Mukhtar
Ramalan Yero congratulating the APC for its victory in the elections, and pledging
to work with us to make Kaduna great again. This was followed by a congratulatory
letter later during the day. Vice President Namadi Sambo also called in the evening
to convey his best wishes. I thank them for these acts which have put the interest
of the state above partisan politics.
I hope to meet with Governor Yero as soon as possible to begin consultations on the
transition process to ensure that the machinery of government does not suffer
between now and when the new government takes office. As I promised you, we will
hit the ground running. The work of rebuilding Kaduna State begins immediately
and every one of you has a role to play.
Change has come, but we must work together to make it real and lasting. Together,
let’s make Kaduna great again!
Thank you. God bless you all. God bless Kaduna State. God bless Nigeria!