Buhari wins historic polls

Date: 2015-04-02

The main opposition party candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari has defeated Nigeria's sitting President in a historic vote.

This is the first time the opposition would defeat an incumbent in presidential election in the country.

General Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) polled 15, 424, 921 votes against President Goodluck Jonathan's 12,853, 162. Jonathan's PDP has been ruling Nigeria for the last 16 years.

The President-elect won majority of votes in 21 of Nigeria's 36 states while Jonathan led in 15 states, all but three in the southern part of the country. Both candidates secured a quarter of votes in 24 states which is a requirement for winning the election.

But General Buhari got 2.67 million more votes to stop the President in his re-election bid.

Buhari, a former Nigerian Head of State, had run for President three times under different parties � twice under the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party and once under Congress for Progressives Change � since 2003.

The 21 states Buhari won are Lagos Ogun Ondo, Osun Oyo, Bauchi, Gombe, Adamawa, Borno, Yobe. Others are Benue, Kogi,Kwara Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, Niger, Kebbi, , and Sokoto and Zamfara.

Jonathan won in Ekiti, Edo, Delta, Rivers, Bayelsa, Cross Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Taraba, Abia, Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, Imo, Plateau and Nasarawa states. After painstaking process of collating the results, Jega this morning declared thus: "I Prof. Attahiru Mohammed Jega hereby certify:

1) That I was the Returning Officer of the Presidential Election held on the 28 March, 2015;

2) That the Election was contested;

3) That the candidates received the following votes: (i) Senator Anifowoshe - 22,125; (ii) Alhaji Galadima - 40,311; (iii)Rafiu Salau - 30,673; (iv) Dr. Mani I - 29,666; (v) Ayeni Musa - 53,537; (vi) Muhammadu Buhari -15,424,921; (vii) Chief Sam E. - 36,300; (viii) Ambrose Owuru - 7,435; (ix) Oluremi Sonaiya - 13,076; (x) Martins Onovo - 24,455; (xi) Goodluck Ebele Jonathan - 12,853,162; (xii) Allagoa Kelvin Chinedu - 24,475; (xiii) Godson Mgbodile O. Okoye - 9,208; (xiv) Dr. Chekwas Okorie - 18,220.

4) That Muhammadu Buhari, APC, having satisfied the requirement of the law and scored the highest number of votes is hereby returned the winner."

Party agents present at the declaration all signed the copies of the result, except Colonel Bello Fadile, of the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), who represented the PDP.

Ealier, another agent of the PDP at the collation centre Elder Peter Godsday Orubebe accused Jega of favouring the APC, adding that his party had lost confidence in the electoral umpire.

Jega denied the accusations.

Daily Trust reports that President Goodluck Jonathan, in a recorded message aired on the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), thanked Nigerians for turning out en-masse for the elections.

Jonathan had earlier called APC's General Muhammadu Buhari to concede defeat and congratulate him, hours before the final declaration of the results.

The president urged those who might feel aggrieved about the outcome of the election to follow due process based on Nigeria's constitution and electoral laws, in seeking redress.

Buhari is also expected to address a press conference today at 11am.

States won by APC

1. Ogun 308,290 207,950

2. Kogi 264,851 149,987

3. Osun 383,603 249,929

4. Ondo 299,889 251,368

5. Oyo 528,620 303,376

6. Kano 1,903,999 215,779

7. Jigawa 885,988 142,904

8. Katsina 1,345,441 98,937

9. Kwara 302,146 132,602

10. Kaduna 1,129,760 484,085