Muhammadu Buhari wins second term as Nigerian president
ABUJA: Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari won a second term in office in presidential election. He beat former vice-president Atiku Abubakar by nearly 5 million votes.
The French news agency yesterday said that the counting of votes ended in the other states of Nigeria except Rivers, noting that the significant margin between Buhari and Abubakar makes it impossible for the latter to win even if he got all the votes of the remaining state.
The agency added that the voting process took place last Saturday and a week after the postponement by the Independent National Electoral Commission due to some logistic difficulties that hampered the delivery of ballot boxes and other materials.
Turnaround
Buhari’s comfortable victory caps a remarkable turnaround just two years after many thought the 76-year-old might not survive an undisclosed illness that had forced him to spend nearly half of 2017 being treated in Britain.
He did not respond when asked for comment after a tally showed he had an unassailable lead over Atiku, having previously stated that he would not discuss the outcome until the electoral commission declared a winner.
Atiku’s party rejected the tallies announced so far as “incorrect and unacceptable”. But a message posted on Twitter, which had Buhari smiling and surrounded by applauding staff at his campaign office, hinted at celebration.
“I met the very hardworking members of our team, many of them young people, and was briefed on the performance of our party so far in the Presidential Elections. I am very proud of what has been accomplished,” he said.
Meanwhile, Akwa Ibom Liberation Movement, AILM has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to order security agencies to protect Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) staff and facilities from being burnt down or destroyed by supporters of politicians who are not satisfied with the outcome of the Saturday’s elections.
The leader of the group, Prince Emmanuel Sam, in a statement made available to newsmen, said it was rather unfortunate that people who looked for political offices and lost, could not exhibit statesmen’s character in a contest they lost.
The group, while urging Akwa Ibom people to remain calm, appealed to the president to ensure no harm is done to any INEC facilities to forestall postponement of the forthcoming governorship elections in the state.