Nigeria's Bola Tinubu wins presidency, electoral commission says

Ruling party candidate won 8.8 million votes but his victory is expected to be challenged in court by his main opponents

Nigeria's ruling party candidate Bola Tinubu was on Wednesday declared winner of a disputed weekend presidential election by the electoral commission after defeating two of his closest rivals.

All Progressives Congress (APC) party candidate Mr Tinubu, 70, won 8.8 million votes against 6.9 million for opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party's Peter Obi, who won 6.1 million, according to results.

The overnight announcement is expected to lead to a court challenge by the two main opponents.

Mr Abubakar finished second in the last vote in 2019, then appealed those results before his lawsuit ultimately was dismissed.

On Tuesday, the two leading opposition parties had demanded a re-vote, saying delays in uploading election results had made room for irregularities.

The ruling APC party urged the opposition to accept defeat and not cause trouble.

The former governor of Lagos state, Mr Tinubu will inherit a mountain of public debt that has grown sevenfold to 77 trillion naira ($167 billion) during Muhammadu Buhari’s eight-year tenure and left the government with an interest bill that consumed about four fifths of its revenue last year.

Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), centre, with his wife Oluremi, right, after winning the presidential elections in Abuja, Nigeria. AP

Supporters of Mr Tinubu celebrate after he was declared the winner, at the party's campaign headquarters in Abuja. Reuters

APC supporters celebrate in Lagos. AFP

Mr Tinubu, 70, won 8.8 million votes against 6.9 million for opposition People's Democratic Party candidate Atiku Abubakar and the Labour Party's Peter Obi, with 6.1 million. AFP

The announcement of the result is expected to lead to a court challenge by the two main opponents. AFP

The ruling APC party urged the opposition to accept defeat and not cause trouble. AP

Electoral commission chairman Mahmood Yakubu, centre, looks on as results for individual states are read out in Abuja. AP

Besides having to get Nigeria's finances back on track, Mr Tinubu will need to quash violence perpetrated by militants, secessionists and armed bandits across the country. EPA

A man takes part in a protest against the electoral commission in Abuja. AP

Nigerian soldiers are stationed near a market in Lagos to prevent election-related violence. Reuters

Polling officers collate the results at the electoral commission's office in Lagos. EPA

A voter casts her ballot at a polling station in Amatutu during Nigeria's presidential election. AFP

A woman writes her name on an unofficial list of voters. AFP

People queue to write their names on an unofficial list of voters in Abuja. AFP

A voter gets her information checked by an Independent National Electoral Commission official at a polling station in Agege, Lagos. AFP

An official confirms the details of a voter at a polling station in Agege. AFP

Voters queuing to vote. AFP

A voter casts his ballot at a polling station in Agege. AFP

Nigeria's Labour party candidate Peter Obi speaks to journalists before casting his vote. AP Photo

An official sets up the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System in Amatutu. AFP

Polls open at the University of Ibadan. AFP

Voters queue outside a polling station in Kano. AFP

Party agents look at polling station information in Kano. AFP

Besides having to get the nation’s finances back on track, he will need to quash violence perpetrated by militants, secessionists and armed bandits across vast areas of the country.

Mr Tinubu has pledged to expand the size of the security forces, more than triple crude production, reduce exposure to foreign debt and make it easier for citizens to gain access to financing.

He has also vowed to eliminate petrol subsidies that cost the government 4.9 trillion naira last year and consumed most of its oil revenue — a move that will push up transport costs and could trigger social unrest.

Mr Tinubu is used to navigating controversy, having spent decades at the forefront of Nigerian politics.

Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress gestures to supporters after casting his vote in the presidential elections in Lagos on February 25. AP

After running the commercial centre of Lagos for eight years until 2007, he remained the most influential politician in south-western Nigeria, where he played a key role in the selection of state governors.

He has been a leading power broker in the APC since its formation in 2013 and saw off challengers, including former Transport Minister Rotimi Amaechi and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, to secure the party’s presidential nomination by a landslide in June last year.