APC’s Bola Tinubu Declared Winner of Nigeria’s Presidential Election
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced the winner of the 2023 presidential election in Nigeria. Bola Tinubu, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, emerged victorious with a total of 8,794,726 votes, beating 17 other candidates. Tinubu also scored over 25% of the votes cast in 30 states, exceeding the 24 states constitutionally required.
The runner-up in the election was Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), who polled 6,984,520 votes, while Peter Obi of the Labour Party came third with a total of 6,101,533 votes. Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) came fourth with 1,496,687 votes.
INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu announced the final results early Wednesday morning in Abuja. He stated that a Certificate of Return for the President and Vice President would be presented by 3 p.m. on Wednesday at the National Collation Centre.
Tinubu won in Rivers, Borno, Jigawa, Zamfara, Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo, Oyo, and Ogun states. Atiku won in Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Kaduna, Gombe, Yobe, Bauchi, Adamawa, and Taraba states. He also won in Osun, Akwa Ibom, and Bayelsa states. Obi won in Edo, Cross River, Delta, Lagos, FCT, Plateau, Imo, Ebonyi, Nasarawa, Anambra, Abia, and Enugu states. Kwankwaso only won in Kano State.
Although the APC and its supporters are celebrating their victory, the PDP and LP have called for the cancellation of the results. The two parties accused INEC of failing to upload the results of elections in over 170,000 polling units onto a central server (IReV), as required by law. They demanded that the chairman of INEC, Mahmood Yakubu, step aside over what they described as electoral irregularities and misconduct.
INEC has since replied, saying its chairman would not resign and that any party aggrieved with the election process should follow the law to air its grievances.
The final election result showed 93,469,008 registered voters and 25,286,616 accredited voters. A total of 24,025,940 votes were valid, while a total of 939,278 were rejected, bringing the total vote cast to 24,965,218.
The election was keenly contested, with the major political parties campaigning vigorously nationwide. The results have been widely anticipated and have generated much local and international interest.
With the declaration of Tinubu as the winner, Nigerians are looking forward to a new era of governance in the country. There are high hopes for economic growth, development, and social progress, as well as the consolidation of democratic principles and good governance.
The country is expected to witness major changes in the coming years as the new administration sets out to tackle the various challenges facing the nation. These include security, corruption, infrastructure, healthcare, education, and the economy.
Overall, the election has been a landmark event in the country’s history, and the outcome will have far-reaching implications for the future of Nigeria and its people
