Ruling Party Candidate, Bola Tinubu, Wins Disputed Nigerian Presidential Election
Former Lagos governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu (70), has won a tight race to succeed Muhammadu Buhari as the next president of Nigeria.
Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), announced early on Wednesday that Tinubu “… is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected”.
Al Jazeera reported that Tinubu polled 8.8 million votes to defeat former associate-turned-foe Atiku Abubakar and surprise frontrunner Peter Obi, who scored 6.9 million and 6.1 million, respectively.
However, three opposition parties have since called for a cancellation of what they called a “sham” of an election.
Tinubu represented the ruling Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar (76), stood for the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), while Peter Obi (61) represented the Labour Party.
Addressing supporters soon after his victory was confirmed, Tinubu said:
This is a serious mandate – I hereby accept it. To serve you… To work with you and make Nigeria great.
I appeal to my fellow contestants to let us team together. It is the only nation we have. It is one country that we must build together.
Tinubu is a former two-term governor of Lagos and is considered the most influential political godfather in current Nigerian history.
He is set to become Nigeria’s fifth president since the return of democracy in 1999.
Earlier on Tuesday, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), and African Democratic Congress (CDC) called for the cancellation of the election results.
The losing parties alleged the poll was a “sham” and merely “vote allocation and not collation”.
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