West Africa: Government candidate Tinubu wins presidential election in Nigeria

In Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) party, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has won the presidential election. The 70-year-old received 36 percent of the votes, according to the national election commission in the capital, Abuja.

The candidate from the opposition Democratic People’s Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, came in second with 29 percent. According to the electoral commission, Labor Party candidate Peter Obi received 25 percent. The election is overshadowed by allegations of fraud.

With around 220 million inhabitants, Nigeria is the most populous country on the African continent and also its largest economy. More than 87 million people were allowed to vote on Saturday. The previous President Muhammadu Buhari (80) is stepping down after two terms in office. A simple majority of all votes cast and 25 percent of the votes in two-thirds of Nigeria’s 36 states were required to win the first round.

Election Observer: Poor planning and lack of transparency

Several opposition parties – including the PDP and the Labor Party – had spoken of election fraud even before the results were announced. Accordingly, some of the results are said to have been manually evaluated and transmitted. By contrast, electronic transmission to the central server of the election commission is required by law. In a preliminary report, EU election observers also accused the Commission of poor planning and a lack of transparency. However, they saw the basic rights of freedom of movement and assembly during the election as largely guaranteed.

Tinubu used to be a chartered accountant, senator and governor of the mega-metropolis Lagos. During the election campaign, he promised to modernize Nigeria’s public infrastructure. Basic facilities such as the water supply or public housing are ailing.