ABUJA: Nigeria’s new president-elect, Bola Tinubu, called on citizens to unite around him on Wednesday, as he defended the integrity of the national election he won amid a bitter dispute over the results. Both of the two main opposition parties have rejected the outcome as fraudulent, and said they would challenge the results in court.
The bitter dispute has raised fears of violence in Africa’s most populous nation and leading energy producer, which has a long history of electoral violence.
In past polls, street gangs with loyalty to Tinubu in the commercial hub of Lagos have fought pitched battles with gangs loyal to rival parties.
“I am very happy I have been elected the president of the federal republic of Nigeria,” Tinubu said to cheers in Abuja. “This is a serious mandate. I hereby accept it.” He now faces a litany of national problems, including insurgencies in the northeast, armed attacks, killings and kidnappings, conflict between livestock herders and farmers, cash, fuel and power shortages, and deeply entrenched corruption. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said Tinubu garnered 37 per cent, or 8.79 million votes, in the weekend election, ahead of main opposition challenger Atiku Abubakar’s 29 per cent, or 6.98 million votes.
Peter Obi, an outsider popular with younger and more educated urban voters, won 25 per cent, or 6.1 million votes.
A candidate can win by getting more votes than any of their rivals, provided they get 25 per cent of the vote in at least two-thirds of the 37 federal territories. — AFP
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