President-elect Bola Tinubu (C) President Buhari (R).
Wed 01 March 2023:
Bola Tinubu, the politician long heralded as the “father of modern Lagos”, has won a tight race to succeed Muhammadu Buhari as the next president of Nigeria.
Tinubu, “having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected”, Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), announced early on Wednesday.
“This is a serious mandate – I hereby accept it. To serve you… To work with you and make Nigeria great,” Tinubu said as supporters cheered “Jagaban”, a local chieftain title.
“I appeal to my fellow contestants to let us team together. It is the only nation we have. It is one country that we must build together,” he added.
President-elect Bola Tinubu defends poll win
Nigeria’s new president-elect Bola Tinubu has defended the integrity of the national election that he won, and called on citizens to unite around him after a bitter dispute over results opposition parties have said are flawed.
“I comment INEC [The Independent National Electoral Commission] for running a credible election no matter what anybody says,” Tinubu said. “The lapses that were reported, they were relatively few in number and were immaterial to affect the final outcome of the election.”
INEC promised to upload results from each polling unit to its website in real time but most units were unable to do so immediately, undermining trust in the process. Because of these failings, the main opposition parties of Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi have rejected the results as fraudulent.
Ruling APC supporters celebrate Tinubu’s election victory
The ruling All Progressives Congress party supporters are celebrating Bola Tinubu’s election win, after the former Lagos governor was declared president-elect by the electoral commission.
“None of the others matches his record!” said Babafemi Akin as he talked excitedly about the prospects of a Tinubu administration. “I am sure he will do well.”
Adenike Mutiat Abubakar, 43, said he has high hopes for Tinubu to deliver for all Nigerians.
“He has done it before, and we know that he will do better than what he did in Lagos,” Abubakar said. “He’s the man of the people, so that’s why everybody wants him.”
President Buhari congratulates Tinubu on election win
President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated Bola Tinubu for winning Saturday’s highly contested poll.
“Elected by the people, he is the best person for the job. I shall now work with him and his team to ensure an orderly handover of power,” Buhari said in a statement.
I congratulate His Excellency @officialABAT on his victory. Elected by the people, he is the best person for the job. I shall now work with him and his team to ensure an orderly handover of power. pic.twitter.com/YwryZ1uFXJ
— Muhammadu Buhari (@MBuhari) March 1, 2023
Both Buhari and Tinubu are from the same party – the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
President Buhari is stepping down after serving two four-year terms in office.
Who is Bola Tinubu?
Bola Tinubu, a political “godfather” famed for his strategic deftness and clout, never hid his ambition to be president of Nigeria.
The 70-year-old has now fulfilled his “lifelong” goal by winning the presidency of Africa’s most populous nation with 8.8 million votes, according to final election results.
A Muslim born in Nigeria’s Yoruba-speaking southwest, Tinubu trained as an accountant in the United States and worked for several US companies, including as a treasurer at oil giant ExxonMobil.
He is believed to be one of Nigeria’s richest politicians and after leaving office he was accused of corruption, money laundering and operating more than a dozen foreign bank accounts. He was never charged and denies wrongdoing.
The source of his wealth is unknown but he has interests in a number of business ventures, from media and aviation to tax consultancy, hotels and real estate holdings.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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