LAGOS | A Nigerian opposition party has said it will launch a legal challenge after Bola Ahmed Tinubu was on Wednesday declared the winner of Nigeria’s controversial presidential elections.
Tinubu, 70, represents the ruling All Progressives Congress party, which received close to 8.8 million votes – about 36.6% of the total, according to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman Mahmood Yakubu.
He defeated vice president Atiku Abubakar of the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and a third leading candidate Peter Obi, who gained popularity among young people with his lesser-known Labour Party.
“We won this election as Labour Party, we are going to claim our mandate as Labour Party,” said Datti-Baba Ahmad, the party’s Vice Presidential candidate.
Obi is yet to comment on the official results.
However, Ndi Kato, Labour Party’s presidential campaign spokesperson told CNN on Wednesday: “We are defiant. The elections were rigged.”
In his acceptance speech, Tinubu struck a conciliatory tone, asking his opponents “to team up together.”
“It (Nigeria) is the only nation we have. It is one country, and we must build together. Let’s work together to put broken pieces together,” he said.
Tinubu also thanked voters and said he was “profoundly humbled.”
“This is a shining moment in the life of any man and an affirmation of our democratic existence,” he said. “I represent a promise and with your support, I know that promise will be fulfilled.”
Videos from the capital Abuja showed Tinubu’s supporters cheering and celebrating the win.
Kingmaker turned king
Tinubu, the former governor of Lagos state, represents the same party as outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari, who Tinubu said he helped propel to the top seat in 2015.
After decades spent behind the scenes, Tinubu launched his campaign for the presidency with the motto: “It’s my turn.”
He will become Nigeria’s fifth elected president since 1999, winning the race for the country’s top job on his first attempt.
Buhari congratulated his soon-to-be successor in a statement Wednesday, calling him “the best person for the job.”
Vote counting since Saturday’s polls has been vehemently challenged by many who allege the process has been marred by corruption and technical failures. On Tuesday, the country’s main opposition parties described the results of the election as “heavily doctored and manipulated” in a joint news conference.
They said they had lost confidence in Yakubu, the electoral body chairman, and that the results “do not reflect the wishes of Nigerians.”
The INEC has rejected the calls for a fresh vote , with one spokesperson insisting the election process had been “free, fair and credible.”
In his speech, Tinubu also commended the INEC for “running a credible election no matter what anybody says.”
But several observers, including the European Union, have also criticized the election for lacking transparency.
“The election fell well short of Nigerian citizens’ reasonable expectations,” said a joint observer mission of the International Republican Institute (IRI) and National Democratic Institute (NDI).
Low voter turn out
This election is one of the most fiercely contested since the country returned to democratic rule in 1999, with more than 93 million people registered to vote, according to the INEC.
But Yakubu said on Wednesday that 24 million valid votes were counted, representing a turnout of just 26%. This was much lower out than the last elections in 2019 when around a third of registered voters ended up voting.
“We suspect the low turnout is attributed to the naira scarcity, which made it difficult for people to travel to their states to vote, voter suppression and issues related to unprinted PVCs (permanent voters card),” Samson Itodo from election Yiaga Africa told CNN in a statement.
Political analyst Remi Adekoya said it was a failing in democracy.
“It would appear the majority of Nigerians simply don’t believe their vote can change anything fundamental in how Nigeria works,” he said.”That is bad news for any democracy and reduces pressure on elected officials to deliver. Unfortunately the shambolic conduct of these elections in many places will not help that situation. Many Nigerians are even less likely to believe in the democratic process now, running the risk of the country becoming a democracy in name only.”
Samson Itodo, the head of Nigeria’s largest independent election monitoring body, said on Tuesday there was “serious cause for concern,” with the elections process.
He cited multiple critical issues that had hampered public trust in the election process, including violence and technical impediments.
Some logistical problems reported across the country include voters who could not locate their polling stations after last-minute changes, he said.
His non-profit civic organization, Yiaga Africa, deployed more than 3,800 observers across Nigeria for the election – with one observer being kicked out of a voting center after “thugs invaded” it, Itodo said.
Many voters in Lagos complained of intimidation and attempts to suppress their votes. In February, CNN visited one polling unit in Lekki, Lagos, which was attacked and the military was forced to intervene.
In other instances, voting was delayed or people didn’t get to vote at all, as election officials failed to show up.
On Tuesday, the United Nations urged “all stakeholders to remain calm through the conclusion of the electoral process,” and to avoid misinformation or inciting violence.
