BREAKING: Former Lagos Gov Tinubu Declared Nigeria’s President-Elect by INEC Chairman
The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been named the victor of what was undoubtedly Nigeria’s most intensely contested and important presidential election.
At the National Collation Centre in Abuja, which was filled to capacity with journalists, party agents, and observers, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), declared the former Lagos Governor’s victory shortly after 4 a.m. on Wednesday.
That Tinubu Bola Ahmed of the APC has fulfilled the legal requirements, and as such, he is now pronounced the winner and is re-elected, “Professor Yakubu said in a statement that was broadcast to an anticipating nation and many others throughout the world.
With victories in 12 of Nigeria’s 36 states and considerable support in several others, Tinubu, 70, received 8,794,726 votes, over two million more than former vice president and Peoples Democratic Party candidate Atiku Abubakar (PDP).
Abubakar, 76, who has already campaigned for president six times, received 6,984,520 votes, while Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), who in less than a year galvanized youthful voters in a way that some have called unprecedented, came in second with 6,101,533, received 6,101,533 votes.
Former Anambra State governor Obi won the election in 11 states, including Lagos, the APC candidate’s home state. Also, he won in Abuja, the nation’s capital. Similar to Tinubu, Abubakar won in 12 states.
Rabiu Kwankwaso, a former governor of Kano State and NNPP candidate, came in fourth place overall and won his home state of Kano. 1,496,687 people voted for him.
Professor Yakubu’s announcement, four days after the vote, brings to a climax a presidential election marred by controversy, violence and ballot box snatching in some states of the country on February 25 during the election.
