Nigerian ruling party candidate Bola Tinubu declared winner of tight presidential election

Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission announced early Wednesday that Bola Tinubu, the candidate for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) party, had won the country's presidential election over the weekend. Tinubu, 70, won about 37 percent of the vote, the electoral commission said, while Atiku Abubakar of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) drew 29 percent and Peter Obi of the Labour Party took 25 percent.
The election was held Saturday, but problems with the new electronic voting machines caused delays that prevented some Nigerians from voting until Sunday. The slow release of the results fueled allegations of vote tampering, and even before the official results were announced at 4 a.m. Wednesday, Abubakar's and Obi's parties were calling for a do-over, BBC News reports.
Independent observers said the election was peaceful and did not report any irregularities that would have changed the outcome. The opposition parties have three weeks to challenge the results. Nigeria is Africa's most populous country, largest economy, and top oil exporter.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Tinubu is the former governor of Lagos state and campaigned on his record rebuilding the country's biggest city, Lagos. He was always the favorite to replace outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari, BBC News reports, and he ran on the slogan "It's my turn," a nod to his history fighting the country's former military regime and helping found Nigeria's democracy in 1999. Obi, a relative political newcomer, won the megacity of Lagos, an upset fueled by young urban voters looking for change from the country's two-party system.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
September 7 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include stressing about Powerball, and a busy FBI schedule
-
Nvidia: unstoppable force, or powering down?
Talking Point Sales of firm's AI-powering chips have surged above market expectations –but China is the elephant in the room
-
5 hard-working cartoons about Labor Day celebrations
Cartoons Artists take on creation of AI, spelling mistakes, and more
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants
-
Florida aims to end all state vaccine requirements
Speed Read Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continues to cut vaccine access and install anti-vaccine activists at the FDA and CDC
-
US kills 11 on 'drug-carrying boat' off Venezuela
Speed Read Trump claimed those killed in the strike were 'positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists' shipping drugs to the US
-
Trump vows to send federal forces to Chicago, Baltimore
Speed Read The announcement followed a California judge ruling that Trump's LA troop deployment was illegal