Nigeria: Opposition Calls For Election Results Cancellation As Buhari Emerges Victorious

President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has won the 2019 presidential election with 15,191,847 votes, giving him another term of four years.

His main challenger and the candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar scored 11,262,978 votes in the polls which had 71 other candidates on the ballot.

The chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Professor Mahmood Yakubu, this morning, declared President Buhari as the winner of the election having scored the highest number of votes.

Yakubu, who was the national returning officer for the presidential election, put the number of valid votes at 29, 364, 209.

Meanwhile, in an acceptance speech, the president said he was humbled by the results, also pointed out the unnecessary loss of lives that greeted the elections,  "I am very sad at the grievous loss of lives during these elections. Security agencies will step up their efforts to protect voters in the forthcoming State elections."

An agent of the PDP Osita Chidoka had earlier called for suspension of the process, pending the consideration of the party’s petition. The chairman however proceeded saying all the issues raised will be responded to at the apprpriate time.

Buhari won a total of 19 states, while Atiku emerged victorious in 17 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.

The states won by Buhari are: Ekiti, Osun, Kwara, Nasarawa, Kogi, Gombe, Yobe, Niger, Jigawa, Kaduna, Bauchi, Lagos, Ogun, Kano, Katsina, Borno, Sokoto, Kebbi, and Zamfara.

On the other hand, Atiku won Ondo, Abia, Enugu, Ebonyi, Anambra, Oyo , Adamawa, Edo, Benue, Imo, Plateau, Taraba, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers and the FCT.

The PDP alleged that the results were doctored before reaching the INEC collation center and that the party had its own version of results. One time Minister and a notable member of the opposition party, Femi Fani-Kayode had called for a parallel government to be formed. As the opposition heads to court, the Muhammadu Buhari led administration which had been accused of too slow, nepotistic and bias in its fight against corruption, will now have to focus on fixing the economy.

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