Presidential candidate Bola Ahmed Tinubu casts his ballot at a polling station, in Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria February 25.Presidential candidate Bola Ahmed Tinubu casts his ballot at a polling station, in Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria February 25.
Tinubu’s victory extends the ruling All Progressives Congress party’s grip on power in Africa’s top oil producer and most populous nation, though he inherits a litany of problems from President Muhammadu Buhari, also of APC. The former governor of commercial hub Lagos polled 8.79 million votes, ahead of main opposition challenger Atiku Abubakar’s 6.98 million votes.Nigerian electoral law says a candidate can win just by getting more votes than their rivals, provided they get 25% of the vote in at least two-thirds of the 36 states and the federal capital Abuja, which Tinubu also managed to do.
And Thabo Mbeki as his trade mark now stands at the center of the controversy by giving a thumbs up to glaring electoral inconsistances and unfairness.