Buhari re-elected as president
*Won 25 percent in 19 states; Atiku 17
*PDP, CUPP kick
*APC mock opposition, say they are bad losers
*INEC to issue Certificate of Return later today
By Emma Okereh, Williams Orji and Myke Uzendu, Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari, candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has been formally declared the winner of the 2019 presidential election in Nigeria.
Prof Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, made the declaration after the collation of results from the 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital City, FCT.
According to the final figures released by INEC, President Buhari polled 15,191,847 votes, winning in 19 out of the 36 states while his main challenger Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party scored 11, 255,978 votes and won 17 states and Abuja.
Prof Mahmood said Buhari also satisfied the constitutional requirement of making 25 per cent in 34 states and the FCT.
He said the total votes cast in the 2019 presidential election were 29,364,209 out of which 27,324,583 were valid while 1,289,607 votes were rejected.
The INEC chairman noted the cases of cancellation of results in some states, he however, pointedly said “the cancellation do not affect conclusion of the process.”
He therefore announced thus, “That, Muhammadu Buhari, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby, declared winner and returned elected.”
But the ruling party described the opposition party and CUPP’s reactions as “antics” to stop the INEC from completing this electoral process.
Notwithstanding, there were also electoral violence in several parts of the country with injuries and fatalities recorded in Lagos, Rivers, Kano, Kogi, Zamfara, Anambra, Ogun, and some other states.
There were reported cases of burnt ballot papers and boxes, as well as areas where ballot did not take place. Incidences of underage voting were also recorded mainly in the north.
At least, 47 people died from election-related violence recorded across more than eight states in the country, according to the Civil Society Situation Room, a coalition of more than 70 civil society groups.
Reports of violence notwithstanding, President Buhari won in 19 states, and polled the statutory 25 percent of votes cast in 24 states including Kaduna, Jigawa, Niger, Yobe, Gombe, Kogi, Nasarawa, Kwara, Osun, Ekiti, Bauchi, Lagos, Ogun, Kano, Katsina, Borno, Sokoto, Kebbi, and Zamfara states.
On his part, Atiku secured victory 17 states and the FCT, considered as the leading educationally advantaged states. The states are: Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Abia, Ondo, Adamawa, Taraba, Oyo, Edo, Benue, Imo, Plateau, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, and the FCT.
Buhari’s victory makes it the second time, since 1999, an incumbent was re-elected, after former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2003.
In 2015, former President Goodluck Jonathan failed in his re-election bid and was defeated by Buhari, in his fourth attempt at securing victory as elected president.
Source: The Authority
