Former President of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Olisa Agbakoba, believes that President Goodluck Jonathan should be commended for the peaceful conduct of the election.
In a session with the media in Lagos, Agbakoba commended President Jonathan for giving room for free and fair elections and for conceding defeat to the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate and new President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari.
The constitutional lawyer said; “Jonathan allowed the democratic space to open. He allowed multiparty democracy and he allowed free and fair elections.
“He took the shine off Buhari by calling and conceding, even before the final result was announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission.”
Similarly, Agbakoba commended the INEC Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega, for his patience even in the face of outright provocation.
He also praised all Nigerians for their efforts towards the success of the elections, but noted that voting along ethnic lines was not good for Nigeria, urging the electorates to see beyond ethnic differences.
The Senior Advocate also congratulated General Muhammadu Buhari on his victory in the 2015 presidential election and urged him not to discard the recommendations made from the National Conference.
Agbakoba further called for the creation of a new anti-corruption framework and the strengthening of Nigeria’s institutions to tackle the menace.
“We need a new anti-corruption framework because the current one has not worked.
“Let the message be clear that there will be response from government that corruption will be severely punished,” Agbakoba said.