Bola Tinubu declared winner of presidential vote

ABUJA (AP):

Election officials declared Bola Tinubu the winner of Nigeria’s presidential election Wednesday, keeping the ruling party in power in Africa’s most populous nation and raising the spectre of protests by opposition supporters who already have called for the vote to be voided.

Tinubu, 70, the former governor of Lagos state, appealed for reconciliation with his rivals in a pre-dawn victory speech in the capital, Abuja. The running mate of one opposition candidate, though, signalled a court challenge was imminent.

Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy and one of the continent’s top oil producers, has seen deadly violence erupt after previous presidential elections. Tinubu urged Nigerians to unite behind his administration after he takes office on May 29.

“I will ... dedicate this day and record it as the moment that we vowed to come together to make Nigeria stand, shining forth as the beloved and brave republic that God created for all of us,” he said in a speech after the election commission gave him a certificate confirming he was president-elect.

Tinubu received only 37 per cent of the vote in last weekend’s election and would be Nigeria’s first president to take office with less than 50 per cent, analysts say. The main opposition candidate, Atiku Abubakar, received won 29 per cent of the vote, while third-place finisher Obi got 25 per cent, according to official results.

Hours after the Independent National Electoral Commission announced the tallies, Obi’s running mate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, told reporters they would challenge the results in court on the basis that provisions of Nigeria’s election law were not followed.

“There is an incoming government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that is illegal and unconstitutional,” Baba-Ahmed said. “The only language we know is peace. If Nigerians are going to achieve peace through peaceful protests, (it is) welcome.”

The election recorded the lowest turnout since 1999, with only 27 per cent of eligible voters casting ballots. The low participation doesn’t necessarily reflect apathy as much as fuel and currency shortages, voter suppression and violence, said Mucahid Durmaz, senior West Africa analyst at Verisk Maplecroft, a risk intelligence company.