Bola Tinubu wins Nigerian presidential election

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Bola Tinubu, the candidate of Nigeria’s ruling party, was declared the winner of the presidential election early Wednesday, as the two main opposition candidates were already calling for a rerun in the country most populated by Africa.

The announcement made overnight by the electoral authorities risks leading to a legal challenge by its main opponents, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi. Abubakar also came second in the last elections of 2019 and subsequently filed a complaint which was ultimately dismissed.

The two main opposition candidates had demanded a repeat of Tuesday’s elections, alleging that the delay in the publication of results had given rise to irregularities. The ruling All Progressives Congress party has called on the opposition to accept defeat and not cause unrest.

Tinubu won 37% of the vote, around 8.8 million ballots, while his main rival, Abubakar, won 29% with around seven million. Obi finished third with 25%, or about 6.1 million votes, according to results announced live on television by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

“Having met the requirements of the law (Tinubu) is declared the winner and is elected,” said the president of the body, Mahmood Yakubu.

The announcement came shortly after 4 a.m., but celebrations at the ruling party’s general secretariat had already started on Tuesday evening, when Tinubu’s supporters gathered there in anticipation of his victory.

“None of the others equals his record!” Babafemi Akin said as he enthused about his chances to reign. “I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

Tinubu, 70, is the former Governor of Lagos State but lost the state in Saturday’s poll to Obi, which attracted many young voters eager for change.

Parties have three weeks to appeal the results, but the election can only be invalidated if it is shown that the national electoral body did not fully comply with the law and acted in a way that could have altered the result.

Nigeria’s Supreme Court has never overruled a presidential election, although challenges are common, including by incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari.

These elections were closely watched as the country is not only Africa’s largest economy, but also one of its major oil producers.

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Associated Press reporters Taiwo Ajayi in Abuja, Nigeria; Krista Larson in Dakar, Senegal, and Sam Mednick in Ouagadugu, Burkina Faso, contributed to this report.