Nigeria’s ruling party candidate Tinubu wins controversial election

Lagos, Nigeria, Mar 1 (EFE).- The candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) party, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, won Nigeria’s controversial presidential elections held on Feb. 25, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced on Wednesday.

Tinubu, 70, obtained 36 percent of the votes, or 8.79 million, INEC chairman Mahmood Yakubu said.

“Tinubu Bola Ahmed of the APC, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner,” Yakubu said.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, of the main opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), came in second with 29 percent of the votes, or 6.98 million.

In third place was Labour candidate Peter Obi, who secured 25 percent of the votes, or 6.1 million.

Eighteen candidates took part in the presidential race but polls indicated that only three of them had a realistic chance of winning the presidency.

Tinubu also won more than 25 percent of the votes cast in at least two-thirds of Nigeria’s 36 states, required under the country’s electoral laws, along with a majority of votes, for a presidential candidate to be declared the winner.

The announcement of the results came a day after the main opposition parties in Nigeria called for the elections to be annulled and fresh polls to be held, accusing the INEC of fraud.

The vote count was also marked by several delays after the uploading of tallies using the new electronic voting system was delayed due to what INEC called “technical hitches.”

Tinubu succeeds outgoing incumbent, Muhammadu Buhari, who was in power since 2015 and not eligible to run for a third term.

Under Nigerian law, presidents can only serve for a maximum of two terms of four years each.

Tinubu will have to contend with a host of problems, including surging crime and jihadist terrorism, as well as high inflation and unemployment in the oil-rich nation of 220 million people. EFE

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