Protests intensify over election results

Thousands of opposition supporters demonstrated Monday against the results of Nigeria’s presidential election, as calls for a revote intensified.

Dressed in black and holding signs, the protesters — led by candidate Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, who finished second behind Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress — marched to the headquarters of Nigeria’s electoral body in the capital, Abuja, and blocked the entrance as they demanded that authorities hold a new election under better conditions.

At least five political parties are challenging last month’s vote, alleging that delays in uploading results from Nigeria’s 177,000 polling stations could have allowed vote tampering. They also allege that some voters were intimidated and that others were barred from voting.

Some observers also have criticized the conduct of the election. The U.S. ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard, said Sunday that the vote process failed to meet Nigerians’ expectations after years of improvement in the quality of elections, and she called on the country’s electoral commission to address challenges promptly ahead of gubernatorial elections on Saturday.