ABUJA, Nigeria (Reuters) – Election officials have declared Mr Bora Tinub victorious in Nigerian presidential election, retaining the ruling party in Africa’s most populous country, according to opposition supporters who had already called for votes.
The former governor of Lagos state, 70-year-old Tinub, delivered his victory speech before dawn in the capital Abuja, calling for reconciliation with his rival. But the opposition vice-presidential candidate has signaled that a court challenge is imminent.
Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy and one of the continent’s largest oil producers, has experienced deadly riots following its last presidential election. After taking office on May 29, Tinub called on the Nigerian people to unite in support of the government. However, analysts said Tinubu received only 37% of the vote, or nearly 8.8 million votes. According to official results, the opposition frontrunner, Atiku Abubakar, won 29% of him with around 7 million, while his third-placed Obi won 25% of him with around 6.1 million.
Hours after election officials announced the election results, Obi’s vice-presidential candidate told reporters in Abuja that he would challenge the results in court because they did not comply with the provisions of Nigeria’s election law.
Nnamdi Obasi, senior adviser on Nigeria for the International Crisis Group, said that Tinubu will have to contend with challenges to his legitimacy from the onset and will need to ensure an inclusive government and focus firmly on rebuilding national cohesion.
Tinubu “will have to strive to win the support of the larger majority who preferred one of the other candidates, particularly the youth, the Christian groups that were opposed to his Muslim-Muslim ticket and Igbos in the southeast who again feel denied the presidency.”
Tinubu is a Muslim from the south and chose a fellow Muslim as his running mate in order to secure votes from the Muslim-dominated north, which has more registered voters than the Christian south, a strategy that proved effective, analysts say.
Tinubu clinched victory in part because the opposition vote was split and because his party had the strongest push to get people out to vote, said Amaka Anku, Africa director at the Eurasia Group consultancy.
President Muhammadu Buhari congratulated his successor in a statement Wednesday, but said the election wasn’t perfect. Political parties now have three weeks to appeal the results, but the election showed electoral bodies across the country did not follow the law and acted in ways that could change the outcome.
Nigeria’s Supreme Court has never overturned a presidential election, but court challenges are common, including for Buhari, who has battled past election losses for months.
The West African regional bloc, known as ECOWAS, has urged political parties to exercise maximum restraint on their supporters and refrain from provocative language that “only exacerbates political tensions, divisions and violence at this critical time”.
Observers said Saturday’s election was largely peaceful, although delays forced some voters to wait until the next day to vote. Many Nigerians find it difficult to get to polling stations due to the currency reorganization that has led to a shortage of banknotes.
