Preliminary Elections Results in Nigeria

Nigeria – The presidential election in Nigeria, which had almost 90 million eligible voters, has resulted in a tight race, with accusations of attempted vote manipulation and delays in voting reported.

Former Lagos governor Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and former vice president Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are the main contenders.

A surprise third-party candidate, Peter Obi of the Labour Party, has also challenged the traditional dominance of the APC and PDP. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced preliminary results state by state, with Tinubu winning Ekiti state and PDP coming second. To win the presidency, a candidate must get the most votes and also win at least 25% of votes cast in two-thirds of Nigeria’s 36 states.

However, the slow uploading of results to INEC’s online website on Sunday has raised concerns about possible electoral malpractice in a country with a history of ballot rigging and vote buying.