The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has formally declared President Mohammadu Buhari as the winner of the presidential election conducted last Saturday, defeating his closest rival, Atiku Abubakar of the main opposition party.
The president will commence his second term in office on May 29, 2019, having scored the highest votes cast at the last election.
Head of INEC, Mahmood Yakubu at 4.37am on Wednesday declared President Buhari winner of the election.
Incumbent President Buhari of the All Progressives Party (APC) polled 15,191,847 votes to defeat former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who had 11,262,978 votes.“That Muhammadu Buhari, having scored the highest number of votes and satisfied the provision of the electoral act is hereby declared the winner of the presidential election,’’ Yakubu declared.
He announced that certificate of return will be issued to the President-elect and Vice President-elect by 2 pm on Wednesday.
Buhari faces a daunting to-do list, including reviving an economy still struggling to recover from a 2016 recession and quelling a decade-old Islamist insurgency that has killed thousands of people in the northeast, many of them civilians.
The President has proved wrong those who doubted he could survive the blows of recession, militant attacks on oilfields, and Islamist insurgency that blighted his first term.
He won by 56 percent compared with 41 percent for the other candidate, businessman and former vice president Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party.
The president won by 3.9 million votes, having garnered 15.2 million to Atiku’s 11.3 million.
The turnout, based on valid votes, was 33.2 percent. In the 2015 presidential election, turnout was 44 percent.
A message posted on Buhari’s Twitter feed late on Tuesday showed him smiling and surrounded by applauding staff at his campaign office.
“I met the very hardworking members of our team, many of them young people, and was briefed on the performance of our party so far in the Presidential Elections. I am very proud of what has been accomplished,” he said on Twitter.
Earlier, Atiku’s party demanded an immediate halt to the release of results by the Independent National Electoral Commission until turnout figures are provided to the competing parties.
Atiku’s party has rejected the tallies announced so far as “incorrect and unacceptable”. Buhari’s party has said the opposition was trying to discredit the returns from Saturday’s election.
The accusations have ratcheted up tensions in a vote marred by delays, logistical glitches and outbreaks of violence.
The President has proved wrong those who doubted he could survive the blows of recession, militant attacks on oilfields, and Islamist insurgency that blighted his first term.
He won by 56 percent compared with 41 percent for the other candidate, businessman and former vice president Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party.
The president won by 3.9 million votes, having garnered 15.2 million to Atiku’s 11.3 million.
The turnout, based on valid votes, was 33.2 percent. In the 2015 presidential election, turnout was 44 percent.
A message posted on Buhari’s Twitter feed late on Tuesday showed him smiling and surrounded by applauding staff at his campaign office.
“I met the very hardworking members of our team, many of them young people, and was briefed on the performance of our party so far in the Presidential Elections. I am very proud of what has been accomplished,” he said on Twitter.
Earlier, Atiku’s party demanded an immediate halt to the release of results by the Independent National Electoral Commission until turnout figures are provided to the competing parties.
Atiku’s party has rejected the tallies announced so far as “incorrect and unacceptable”. Buhari’s party has said the opposition was trying to discredit the returns from Saturday’s election.
The accusations have ratcheted up tensions in a vote marred by delays, logistical glitches and outbreaks of violence.
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