The closest Nigerian presidential election since its restoration to democracy in 1999 was won by Bola Tinubu. He is a former governor and self-described “Godfather of Lagos”.
One of the largest oil producers on the continent saw its election dubbed a sham by opposition parties, who demanded a repeat.
Who won the Nigerian presidential election?
To overcome his primary rival Atiku Abubakar of the opposition Peoples Democratic party, Tinubu received 8.8 million votes or slightly more than one-third of the total. On his sixth attempt to become president of Nigeria, Abubakar received 7 million votes. This report is according to the results declared by Mahmood Yakubu, chair of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Peter Obi, who had the support of many urban, educated middle-class voters in Nigeria, came in third. He received 6.1 million votes, winning Lagos, the state Tinubu is from. As well as Abuja’s capital and 11 other states. Obi’s showing was the greatest by a third-party candidate since the end of military dictatorship in a system. Where two major parties predominate and mainly alternate power.
Tinubu’s Promise Work for All
Upon the revelation of the results, Tinubu committed to working for everyone, even those who did not support him.
Let’s collaborate and get things done. He addressed his political rivals and stated, “I promise to work with you.
The 70-year-old Tinubu ran mostly on his eight years of experience as Lagos’ governor. This he held from 2003 to 2007. He claimed to have “cleaned up” the state and raised tax receipts. Frequently he said the Yoruba phrase “Emi Lokan,” which means “it is my turn” to become the next president. He is credited with creating the sizable coalition that enabled outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari to win in 2015 after three prior unsuccessful attempts.
Nonetheless, his critics charge that by installing his successors using his immense political power, he turned the state into his domain.
Tinubu has been accused of corruption and his enormous wealth has been questioned. In the 1990s, the US froze its assets, alleging a possible connection to a narcotics operation. He reached a deal with US officials, admitting no wrongdoing in exchange for forfeiting $460,000.
Some have expressed worry about his age and health. His comments occasionally went ununderstood. Also he occasionally looked frail in public appearances. Needing the help of his advisors to clarify what he was trying to communicate.
Electoral Commission’s Failure
A coalition of opposition parties, including the PDP and Labour party, asked for another vote on Tuesday, citing alleged irregularities in the polling process and the counting of results. They cited the electoral commission’s delay in uploading the results from the country’s over 177,000 polling places.
“We’re challenging the process because it fundamentally contradicts not just the law but the election processes which are drawn from the electoral act,” PDP party chair Iyorchia Ayu stated at a news conference in Abuja.
Although acknowledging that its online system had been “slow and unsteady,” the election commission denied claims that it had let results be tampered with.
It said that aggrieved parties were able to seek the courts to express their opinions as they awaited for the issue to be addressed.
The election commission was condemned for its lack of openness and communication in sending results from the polling place by both international observers and Nigerian civil society organizations.
With inflation at roughly 22% and unemployment at 33%, Tinubu inherits a country rife with insecurity and a battered economy. Nigeria has been unable to satisfy its daily 1.8 million barrel Opec quota for more than a year, and oil output has stalled.
The removal of fuel subsidies, cost Nigeria more than $10 billion last year. This is a commitment to society by Tinubu.