Obama urges Nigerian to accept election results

WASHINGTONS, April 2 (KUNA) -- US President Barack Obama spoke separately with Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan and President-Elect Muhammadu Buhari late Wednesday, urging them to repeat their calls to their supporters to continue to respect the election outcomes and focus on unifying the country.
He commended them for their leadership during Nigeria's recent election and their public commitments to non-violence throughout the campaign, a White House statement said, citing readouts of the two calls.
President Obama applauded President Jonathan for placing his countryآ’s interests first by conceding the election and calling on his supporters to accept the outcome peacefully.
He congratulated President-Elect Buhari on his victory and thanked him for repeatedly urging his supporters to help ensure the election process remained calm and peaceful.
President Obama encouraged both leaders to work together to unify the country and sustain Nigeria's strong partnership with the United States to tackle the critical challenges facing Nigeria and the broader region. He highlighted the need for Nigeria and its regional partners to build on the recent progress against Boko Haram and pledged that the United States will continue to support those efforts. (end) yt.mb