Nigeria ruling party candidate Tinubu wins presidency

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
1 Mar 09:38

Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been declared the winner of Nigeria's presidential elections, beating out two other prominent candidates.

Bola Tinubu, center, of the All Progressives Congress, celebrates with supporters at the Party's campaign headquarters after winning the presidential elections in Abuja, Nigeria, Wednesday, March 1, 2023. (AP)

Nigeria's elections ended on Wednesday with ruling party candidate Bola Tinubu securing the presidency.

After completing two terms, President Muhammadu Buhari steps down as many Nigerians hoped for a new President that would address their concerns, which include economic malaise and growing poverty.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) party candidate won 8.8 million votes against 6.9 million for opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Atiku Abubakar and 6.1 million for Labour Party's Peter Obi, according to final results.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, or INEC, confirmed Tinubu as president-elect after he secured the required 25 percent of votes in two-thirds of Nigeria's 36 states and capital.

"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.

Even before the final tallies, though, Labour and PDP had already called for the vote to be canceled, alleging massive manipulation of the results. It was not clear whether they would take their case to court.

US tweeting for 'free, fair' elections

Ahead of the opening of Nigeria's polling stations for national elections, US ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield tweeted on February 23 a video of herself, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and USAID Administrator Samatha Power promoting a "free and open election in Nigeria."

Nigeria – your vote matters!

Go to https://t.co/didV1espQG to prepare to vote. pic.twitter.com/Tfu4AgaP28
— Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield (@USAmbUN) February 24, 2023

The video states that the US government "does not support any individual candidate for office" but rather "strongly supports a peaceful election that reflects the will of the people in Nigeria."

Thomas-Greenfield has a reputation for working with think tanks that have promoted illegal coups and influenced elections across the globe.

She was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), a group whose founding members are "focused on exerting behind-the-scenes influence designed to encourage sustained US involvement in the world," according to the CFR website.