Readout of the President’s Calls with Nigerian President Jonathan and President-Elect Buhari

President Obama today spoke with Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan and separately with President-Elect Muhammadu Buhari to commend them for their leadership during Nigeria’s recent election.  The President applauded President Jonathan for putting Nigeria and its people before politics by conceding the election and calling on his supporters to accept the outcome peacefully.  President Obama 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.  The President 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.