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Nigeria’s Bola Tinubu declared winner of presidential vote

Published:Wednesday | March 1, 2023 | 8:16 AM
Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (centre) celebrates with supporters at the party's campaign headquarters after winning the presidential elections in Abuja, Nigeria, Wednesday, March 1, 2023. Election officials declared ruling party candidate Tinubu the winner of Nigeria's presidential election with the two leading opposition candidates already demanding a re-vote in Africa's most populous nation. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigerians awoke to a new president Wednesday, with ruling party candidate Bola Tinubu declared the winner of the country's election.

As he thanked his supporters he appealed for reconciliation with his rivals, who are already demanding a revote in Africa's most populous nation.

The announcement by election officials overnight was likely to lead to a court challenge by the second- and third-highest finishers in the weekend vote, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi.

Abubakar also finished second in the previous vote in 2019, and appealed those results although his lawsuit ultimately was dismissed.

Tinubu's ruling All Progressives Congress party urged the opposition Tuesday to accept defeat and not cause trouble after they had demanded a revote, saying that delays in uploading election results had made room for irregularities.

Tinubu received 37% of the votes, or nearly 8.8 million, while main opposition candidate Abubakar won 29% with almost seven million.

Third-place finisher Obi took 25% with about 6.1 million, according to the results announced on live television by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The president-elect thanked his supporters in the capital, Abuja, after his victory was announced and struck a reconciliatory tone in a message directed at his political adversaries.

The announcement of his victory came after 4 a.m., but celebrations already had started late Tuesday at the ruling party's national secretariat where Tinubu's supporters had gathered in anticipation of his victory.

“None of the others matches his record!” said Babafemi Akin as he chatted excitedly about the prospects of a Tinubu administration. “I am sure he will do well.”

Tinubu, 70, is the former governor of Lagos state, home to Nigeria's megacity of the same name. However, he lost the state in Saturday's election to Obi, who drew a strong following among younger voters eager for change.

The tightly contested election has redrawn Nigeria's electoral geography and produced results that are significantly different from those of past polls, with this being the first time that a president takes office with less than 50% of the vote and where four candidates won over a million votes, say analysts.

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