Nigeria has decided!
Muhammadu Buhari's All Progressives Congress party has claimed a historic victory, given the massive lead that the former military ruler took over erstwhile president Jonathan Goodluck's Peoples Democratic Party.
"This is the first time the opposition has voted a government out of power in Nigeria's history," an APC spokesperson said, referring to the 16-year uninterrupted rule of the PDP ever since Nigeria shifted from military rule to democracy.
LATEST:
- The national electoral commission has officially announced Buhari as the winner of the presidential elections.
"General Muhammadu Buhari @ThisIsBuhari of @APCNigeria is hereby returned the winner"- Jega pic.twitter.com/WK5YKlg8Xp
— INEC Nigeria (@inecnigeria) April 1, 2015
- Erstwhile president Jonathan Goodluck conceded defeat to rival Muhammadu Buhari, and congratulated him over his victory in the tightly contested presidential elections.
- However, Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission is yet to officially anounce the results.
- Muhammadu Buhari's All Progressives Congress party has claimed victory in the presidential elections, as the official collation of votes by the national electoral commission is drawing to a close.
- Jonathan Goodluck's representative at the national collation centre in Abuja has reportedly announced the Peoples Democratic Party's rejection of the results, according to Daily Post.
- Muhammadu Buhari's All Progressives Congress has routed Jonathan Goodluck's Peoples Democratic Party in Niger State, Nigeria's largest state.
#Niger AA: 307 AD: 403 ACPN:441 ADC:614 APA:2006 APC:657,678 CPP:1264 HOPE:198 KOWA:305 NCP:550 PDP:149,222 PPN:449 UDP:116 UPP:118
— INEC Nigeria (@inecnigeria) March 31, 2015
- The collation process has begun on the second day of vote counting, and the chief of the Independent National Electoral Commission apologized for the delay.
"I apologise for the late commencement of the collation, we need to be painstaking when doing such a job"- Jega
— INEC Nigeria (@inecnigeria) March 31, 2015
Collation is LIVE! #Nigeriadecides pic.twitter.com/cqI1FVUXfX — INEC Nigeria (@inecnigeria) March 31, 2015
- Buhari, Nigeria's former military ruler, looks set to come back to power, as a tally by Reuters of 30 of the 36 states shows he has pooled in 12.9 million votes, compared to Jonathan Goodluck's 10.2 million.
- Buhari has beaten Goodluck in half of the 36 states in Nigeria which went to polls on 28 March.
By Monday night, results of 18 states were declared, and Buhari is leading the race with more than two million votes. - While Jonathan has won in the capital of Abuja, he lost in several other key states.
- Nigeria's election commission has begun the collation process, even as UK and US foreign secretaries pointed to indications of political interference in the process.
Collation is LIVE! #Nigeriadecides
— INEC Nigeria (@inecnigeria) March 30, 2015
- Buhari has swept the polls in Katsina state.
- Jonathan has defeated Buhari in the Enugu state, winning all 17 seats.
- An electoral official has been arrested from the Taraba state for electoral malpractice, adding to concerns of rigging in the knife-edge elections.
- President Jonathan Goodluck lost to Buhari in the polls held inside the Presidential villa in Abuja, considered to be Nigeria's seat of power, according to the Daily Post.
Votes at the two polling units inside the housing complex where the President also resides put Buhari in the lead with 613 votes as opposed to Jonathan Goodluck's 595 votes.
- Ironically, Buhari lost his own ward to the PDP, even losing at the polling unit where he himself cast his vote. PDP picked up 88 votes at unit two of Ward 2 of the Staff Training School at GRA Benin, where Buhari voted, while APC got 65.
- Jonathan Goodluck's Peoples Democratic Party had won all 16 seats in the Ekiti state.
- Buhari's All Progressives Democracy is leading in the Adamawa state, winning nine seats, while the PDP trails at five.