LAGOS, 01 MAR – The candidate of the ruling party in Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, has won the presidential elections in Africa’s most populous country, according to official results released by the National Electoral Commission (Inec). Tinubu of the All Progressives’ Congress (PCA) won 8.8 million votes beating Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (6.9 million votes) and Peter Obi of the Labor Party (6.1 million votes). He also obtained 25% of the vote in at least two-thirds of the federation’s 36 states and in the Abuja capital territory, a necessary condition to be declared the winner. “Tinubu Bola Ahmed of the PCA, having satisfied the legal requirements, is declared the winner and elected,” INEC president Mahmood Yakubu announced overnight in front of the press in Abuja. More than 87 million voters were called to the polls on Saturday and the vote, whose turnout is not yet known, was generally peaceful. But many observers have criticized the delays in counting and serious flaws in the electronic transfer of results. Yesterday, even before the announcement of the final results, the opposition demanded the annulment of the elections, denouncing “massive” fraud. For its part, the Inec shelved the “unfounded and irresponsible” accusations, adding that the candidates were “free to go to court” if they felt wronged. Bola Tinubu, 70, former governor of Lagos (southwest) and nicknamed “the godfather” for his immense political influence, will succeed the incumbent Muhammadu Buhari, 80, who resigns after two terms as required by the Constitution. (HANDLE).
(ANSA)
