The prime minister of Benin Republic, Lionel Zinsou, has conceded defeat to his opponent Patrice Talon, in the just concluded presidential election.
Just like the immediate past President of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, Zinsou said that he has called Talon to congratulate him even before the final election results were announced.
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He said: “I called Patrice tonight to congratulate him on his victory and wish him good luck.
“I am going to speak in front of the press to thank my constituents after the announcement by CENA (Commission Electorale Nationale Autonome/ Benin, the country’s electoral commission).”
Jonathan had on Tuesday, March 31, 2015 set a pace which is gradually being followed by leaders in a democratic era and for which he has been globally lauded.
Prior to the elections, Jonathan said: “We are in a democracy. I have always congratulated governorship candidates when they win, even when they defeat candidates of my own party. I will congratulate whoever wins.
“I am not known for violence. I will never incite people to start spilling blood because of an election. It is not worth it. My ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian.
“You see, it is God that made me president. If God says I will be re-elected, there is nothing anybody can do to stop me. All the plots against me will fail. All the lies will crumble. All the hate messages will amount to nothing. God put me here and if he says it is time to go, he knows best. If he says I will do a second term, no amount of lies can unseat me.”
Recently a report described Goodluck Jonathan’s election behaviour as classy and projected that his statesmanship during the Nigeria’s 2015 elections would influence 16 African democracies in 2016.
