Nigeria election results show surprise gains for outlying candidate

Ballot counting is continuing after technical glitches delayed voting in some areas

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

Ruling party candidate Bola Tinubu led the race for Nigeria's presidency on Tuesday, according to partial official tallies issued after a tight election marred by frustration over long delays, technical hitches and opposition charges that results have been manipulated.

With President Muhammadu Buhari stepping down, many Nigerians hoped Saturday's vote would open the door to a leader able to tackle insecurity, ease economic malaise and root out poverty in Africa's most populous country.

Mr Tinubu, 70, a former Lagos governor from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) party faced another veteran from main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, 76, making his sixth attempt at the presidency.

But a surprise third candidate, Labour Party's Peter Obi, appealed to younger voters with a message of change.

He has tested the dominance of the APC and PDP for the first time since military rule ended in 1999.

Counting continued early on Tuesday, with 14 out of 36 states officially tallied.

The Independent National Electoral Commission said Mr Tinubu had won six states, Mr Abubakar five and Mr Obi three.

Mr Tinubu led with more than four million votes, while Mr Abubakar had three million and Mr Obi 1.6 million, according to national INEC figures.

The winning candidate has to garner the most votes nationally and score at least 25 per cent in two-thirds of the states - a measure reflecting a country split between a mostly Muslim north and widely Christian south, and with three main ethnic groups.

Saturday's election was mostly peaceful, but many polling stations opened late, angering voters, and delays or technical failures slowed uploading of results to an official INEC website meant to promote transparency.