ABUJA, Nigeria – March 1, 2023: The ruling party’s candidate Bola Tinubu, addresses supporters during a celebration at his campaign headquarters. Tinubu has won Nigeria’s controversial election weekend, election authorities said on Wednesday, securing the former Lagos governor the presidency of Africa’s most populous democracy.
Kola Sulaimon/AFP via Getty Images
Nigeria’s ruling party candidate, Bola Tinubu, was declared the winner of the country’s presidential election on Wednesday after the vote was marred by concerns about transparency and Common technical problems.
The 70-year-old former governor of Lagos state won 8,794,726 votes, Independent National Election Commission (INEC) concluded, accounting for 36% of the votes counted in The most intense election in Nigeria since it reverted to civilian rule in 1999.
The main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Atiku Abubakar won 29% and Labor Party candidate Peter Obi, who won 29% of the vote. The first serious challenge to the two dominant parties and scored a surprise win in Lagos state, home of Tinubu, reaching about 25%.
Tinubu succeeds President Muhammadu Buhari, who will step down after reaching the two-term limit, with the ruling Progressive Congress (APC) securing a third consecutive term.
A total of 18 candidates run for president in Africa’s most populous country and its largest economy, across 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of Abuja. About 90 million people are eligible to vote, with polls coming amid worsening security conditions and deep economic hardship.
The APC, PDP and Labor Party each won 12 states, while New Nigerian People’s Party (NNPP) candidate Rabiu Kwankwaso won one. However, the PDP, Labor Party and several other opposition parties had rejected the results by the time Tinubu was declared president-elect on Wednesday.
In a joint press conference on Tuesday, the PDP, the Labor Party and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) asked INEC President Mahmood Yakubu to step down and reorganize what they called the presidential elections. and the “fake” Congress.
ABUJA, Nigeria – February 25, 2023: A party observer argues with an official of the Independent National Election Commission (INEC) because ballot boxes are believed to have been placed at the wrong polling place. in Abuja.
Michele Spatari/AFP via Getty Images
National Chairman of the Labor Party Julius Auber accused INEC on non-compliance with the provisions of the Elections Act 2022 introduced by the Buhari government in order to create confidence in the country’s electoral process and ensure free and fair elections.
“We have a responsibility to the millions of Nigerians who have placed their trust in us and our presidential candidates to protect our country from the forces that seek to divide us,” said Abure. speak.
“President Buhari, this is a moment of great testing for your integrity, use your office to save Nigeria from this electoral mismanagement and protect your legacy.”
However, Buhari on Wednesday morning congratulated Tinubu and said he was the best person for the job, asserting that the legitimacy of the election was unquestionable and urging opposition parties to seeks to challenge the outcome to “take it to court, not the court”. street.”
Tinubu was credited for two terms as governor of Nigeria’s economic capital Lagos with increasing state revenue and boosting economic activity.
However, he caused controversy during the campaign when he chose a fellow Muslim as his running mate, violating an unwritten rule in Nigerian politics of power sharing among followers. Christians and Muslims.
‘Lack of transparency and operational failure’
A European Union election observation mission said on Monday that “lack of transparency and operational failure have reduced confidence in the process and challenged the right to vote.”
Although largely peaceful, the election was held amid insecurity and widespread shortages of both fuel and the country’s naira, which the EU EOM report says has hampered the country’s ability to function. operations of INEC, along with attacks on several INEC facilities and intimidation of voters.
The EU EOM report said: “The abuse of office by many political office holders has skewed the playing field and there are many allegations of vote-buying.”
LAGOS, Nigera – February 25, 2023: An official of the Independent National Election Commission (INEC) uses the Two-Mode Voter Recognition System (BVAS) to recognize a man voting in a polling station in Ojuelegba, Lagos.
Benson Ibeabuchi/AFP via Getty Images
The widely acclaimed Election Act includes the introduction of the Two-Way Voter Recognition System (BVAS) and the Results Viewing Portal (IReV), technologies seen as an important step in strengthening the integrity of the Voter. integrity and reliability of future elections.
However, the EOM notes that delayed training and inadequate simulation testing, coupled with a lack of public information about the technology, have lowered voters’ expectations and “created opportunities for speculation and uncertainty.”
INEC acknowledged that a “technical problem” delayed the upload of the results to IReV, which scored only 20% of the presidential vote by noon the day after the vote.
The Commonwealth Observer Group led by former South African President Thabo Mbeki issued a more favorable preliminary assessment on Monday, determining that “despite the shortcomings identified in these elections , Nigerians were largely given the right to vote.”
“We congratulate all Nigerians for their determination, patience and resilience demonstrated throughout the election process,” Mbeki told journalists on Monday.
However, the COG also highlighted a range of logistical problems that resulted in voters being disenfranchised, long queues, technology problems, “not always positive” behavior. from party agents and procedural inconsistencies in the closing and counting of votes.
Both observatories will provide final reports in the coming days.
