Buhari leads, PDP kicks — Presidential Election

Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) was last night sustaining his lead over President Goodluck Jonathan in the declared results of the presidential elections released by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, last night.

President Jonathan has, however, protested results declared from Kano, Jigawa, Kaduna, Gombe, Bauchi, Katsina and Kogi States, alleging malpractices.

Jonathan’s protest articulated by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was, however, followed by another statement late last night in which it claimed it was not perturbed by the results from the North-West, stronghold of Buhari.

Buhari’s All Progressives Congress, APC, has also protested the results submitted from Rivers State on the basis that there was no election in the state.

Main opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate Mohammadu Buhari casts his ballot at a polling station in the "Gidan Niyam Sakin Yara A ward" at Daura in Katsina State on March 28, 2015. Voting began in Nigeria's general election but delays were reported countrywide because of technical problems in accrediting electors. AFP PHOTO

Main opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate Mohammadu Buhari casts his ballot at a polling station in the “Gidan Niyam Sakin Yara A ward” at Daura in Katsina State on March 28, 2015. Voting began in Nigeria’s general election but delays were reported countrywide because of technical problems in accrediting electors.

AFP PHOTO

As at the time the commission suspended announcement of results late last night, Buhari had scored 10,101,497 votes from 21 states and the FCT, to President Jonathan, who has so far polled 6,798,254 votes, to second place.

The results were declared by the returning officers from the states.

Of the 21 states declared, Buhari won the polls in 13 states of Ogun, Kogi, Osun, Ondo, Oyo, Kwara, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Gombe, Sokoto, Jigawa and Kaduna.

Jonathan won the polls in eight states namely Ekiti, Enugu, Nasarawa, Anambra, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Imo and Plateau. Jonathan also won the polls in the FCT.

Buhari had so far marshalled more than 25 per cent in 16 states while the president grabbed 25 per cent in 15 of the states so far declared.

The results from Adamawa, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Lagos, Niger, Rivers, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara were outstanding at press time and would likely be declared today.