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☆ Lagos governor re-elected in victory for Nigeria ruling party
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( Macdonald Dzirutwe | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Lagos state gubernatorial candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Babajide Sanwo-Olu, arrives his polling unit to cast his vote, during the gubernatorial election in Lagos, Nigeria March 18, 2023. The Lagos election was the highest profile among races for powerful governorships in 28 of Nigeria's 36 states, as well as for state assemblies across the country. Voting was postponed to Sunday at 10 polling stations in a Lagos neighbourhood following disagreements between INEC officials and voters over the location of polling units. In northeastern Adamawa, a conservative and largely Muslim state, electoral officials were collating results after a race that could produce Nigeria's first elected female governor. Voters were still casting ballots in two districts of oil-producing Rivers state where the INEC failed to deliver voting materials.

☆ Fact Check-Video of ballot-stuffing predates the 2023 presidential elections in Nigeria
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

“Rigging of presidential election in northern Nigeria on 25/02/2023” wrote one Facebook user sharing the video and which has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times (bit.ly/3ZhJoGC). The video is unrelated to Nigeria’s 2023 election, as Reuters could trace it back to as early as January 2021 (here). The original source, location and context of the video, however, have not been verified and are out of the scope of this fact check. The All Progressives Congress (APC) party candidate Bola Tinubu has been declared the winner of the 2023 presidential election, but the two main opposition challengers have said the result is fraudulent and have vowed to challenge it in court (here). The video can be traced back to 2021 and is unrelated to the 2023 general election in Nigeria.

☆ Fact Check-Video of Nigeria’s outgoing President Buhari asking people to ‘vote again’ dates to 2019
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A clip from a 2019 speech by Nigeria’s outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari has been shared online again by people falsely claiming that it shows Buhari saying the results of the 2023 general election are void. In the two-minute video, Buhari asks attendees of a caucus meeting of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), to encourage their constituents to be patient and to peacefully “vote again”. “Breaking news the 2023 election has been canceled watch from President #Buhari,” reads one comment on Twitter which included the clip on Feb. 28 (here). But the video is from 2019 and is unrelated to the 2023 election. Meanwhile, results for the 2023 election can be seen on the INEC website (here).

☆ Nigeria’s New Leader Faces Challenges on Economy and Credibility
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Gabriele Steinhauser | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Bola Tinubu won the election with the support of a fraction of Nigeria’s 210 million people. Bola Tinubu , the veteran political fixer who won Nigeria’s presidency after campaigning with the catchphrase “It’s my turn,” will take the reins of Africa’s largest economy under a cloud of accusations that he doesn’t have the mandate he claims. More than 87 million Nigerians had collected voter identification cards ahead of Saturday’s election, but according to the country’s electoral commission, only 25 million actually cast their votes in a process marred by violent incidents and delays at polling stations and a chaotic tallying of votes. Both main opposition candidates have pledged to challenge Mr. Tinubu’s victory in court, presaging what could be a prolonged period of uncertainty at a time when Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, is already struggling with a crush of security problems and a fall in oil production, the government’s main foreign revenue source.

☆ Six Nigerian states challenge election in Supreme Court
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Camillus Eboh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

ABUJA, March 3 (Reuters) - Six opposition-led Nigerian states have asked the Supreme Court to throw out the result of last weekend's presidential vote, saying the electoral body broke the law and its own rules during the count, court papers showed. Six of Nigeria's 36 states - Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo and Sokoto - said in court papers dated Feb. 28 that the election commission had failed to transmit results through an electronic system meant to show transparency. They sought a court declaration that all presidential election results announced by the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) "were invalid, null and void, and of no effect whatsoever". Those materials included ballot papers and voting machines, the order from the appeals court showed. There have been numerous legal challenges to the outcome of past Nigerian presidential elections but none has succeeded.

☆ Nigeria's Obi says he, not Tinubu, won presidential election
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Camillus Eboh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Summary Presidential election marred by technical problemsWinner Tinubu says vote was credibleChallenger Obi vows to overturn result in courtAfter vibrant campaign, turnout was record lowABUJA, March 2 (Reuters) - Nigerian presidential candidate Peter Obi said on Thursday he had won Saturday's election, called Bola Tinubu's victory fraudulent and promised to claim the top job through legal means. Tinubu, the ruling party candidate, was declared president-elect of Africa's most populous nation on Wednesday, having won 37% of the vote. He said the election was credible and the reported problems had had no impact on the overall outcome. "We won the election and we will prove it to Nigerians," he said. While neither generated the visible enthusiasm directed at Obi, both had powerful political machines and decades of networking behind them.

☆ Bola Tinubu: From godfather of Lagos to Nigeria's president-elect
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Tim Cocks | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

And since he bowed out as Lagos governor in 2007, Tinubu has picked every subsequent winning candidate to run Africa's biggest city. That power will now be tested as Tinubu attempts to tackle Nigeria's crises and improve on Buhari's lacklustre record. Many of these problems worsened under Buhari, on whose party ticket Tinubu ran. A spokesman for Tinubu's campaign did not respond to repeated requests for comment. A biography on his campaign website says Tinubu was born in Lagos in 1952, to a Muslim family from the Yoruba ethnic group, the majority in southwest Nigeria.

☆ Nigeria’s Obi to challenge presidential election result in court
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

ABUJA, March 1 (Reuters) - Nigeria’s labour party led by presidential candidate Peter Obi will mount a legal challenge against the election of new president-elect, Bola Tinubu, the party's vice presidential candidate said on Wednesday. Reporting by Camillus Eboh and Chijioke Ohuocha; Editing by James Macharia ChegeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ UK PM Sunak congratulates Nigeria's Tinubu on election victory
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, March 1 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday congratulated Nigeria's new president-elect, Bola Tinubu, on his victory in an election which has been disputed by opposition parties there. "The UK-Nigeria relationship remains strong. I look forward to working together to grow our security and trade ties, opening up opportunities for businesses and creating prosperity in both our countries," Sunak said on Twitter. Reporting by Kylie MacLellan; editing by David MillikenOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Nigerian ruling party candidate declared winner in highly disputed election
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

ABUJA, Nigeria - March 1, 2023: Ruling party candidate Bola Tinubu, addresses supporters during celebrations at his campaign headquarters. Tinubu won Nigeria's highly disputed weekend election, electoral authorities said on Wednesday, securing the former Lagos governor the presidency of Africa's most populous democracy. Nigeria's ruling party candidate Bola Tinubu was declared the winner of the country's presidential election on Wednesday after polling was marred by transparency concerns and widespread technical problems. The APC, PDP and Labour Party won 12 states apiece, while the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) candidate Rabiu Kwankwaso claimed one state. However, the PDP, Labour Party and several other opposition parties had already rejected the results by the time Tinubu was declared president-elect on Wednesday.

☆ Explainer: Nigeria election: what to expect from president-elect Bola Tinubu
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Macdonald Dzirutwe | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

LAGOS, March 1 (Reuters) - Nigeria's president-elect Bola Tinubu has promised to tackle a litany of problems, including escalating violence, double-digit inflation and industrial-scale oil theft. Tinubu says he will build on Buhari's public infrastructure programme to create jobs and remove legal limits on government spending. Tinubu says he will set up a surveillance unit to protect the country's pipelines and attract new investors with tax incentives. Africa's top producer of crude oil depends on imported refined fuels, something Tinubu wants to end by increasing domestic refining through joint ventures with private investors. Tinubu wants to recruit more soldiers and police officers, while paying and equipping them better.

☆ Nigeria's Tinubu defends win in disputed presidential poll
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said Tinubu garnered 8.79 million votes in the weekend election, ahead of main opposition challenger Atiku Abubakar's 6.98 million votes. Peter Obi, an outsider popular with younger and more educated urban voters, garnered 6.1 million votes. "I am very happy I have been elected the president of the federal republic of Nigeria," Tinubu said to cheers in Abuja. Nigeria's election was meant to be its fairest and most open contest to date. As Lagos governor, Tinubu won praise for partially fixing some of the cities problems, including reducing violent crime, waste collection and traffic.

☆ Fact Check-Video circulated alongside claim of vote rigging in Nigeria is from at least 2015
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Social media users sharing the clip present it as if it relates to Nigeria’s most recent vote, held on Feb. 25 (bit.ly/3Z6SPIQ). One account posting the video here wrote: “INEC Staff Seen On Camera Rigging The Presidential Election In Favour Of APC.” APC refers to the ruling All Progressives Congress party. However, the video is old and does not relate to events associated with the 2023 election. The 2023 presidential election has been disputed by opposition parties and the public as votes have been tallied (here and here). Read more about our work to fact-check social media posts here .

☆ Nigeria Governing Party’s Bola Tinubu Declared President-Elect
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Gabriele Steinhauser | Gbenga Akingbule | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

ABUJA, Nigeria— Bola Tinubu , a longtime kingmaker in Nigeria’s governing All Progressives Congress and two-time governor of Lagos, has been elected president of Africa’s most- populous nation, the country’s electoral commission said early Wednesday, an outcome that was disputed by opposition parties. Mr. Tinubu, who ran with the catchphrase “Emi lokan,” or “It’s my turn” in the Yoruba language, won 37% of the vote, ahead of Atiku Abubakar of the main opposition People’s Democratic Party, who received 29%, according to the commission tally. Peter Obi of the Labour Party, whose candidacy was propelled by young, social-media savvy Nigerians frustrated with an underperforming economy and rising insecurity, got 25%, with the balance going to candidates from smaller parties.

☆ Partial results of disputed Nigeria election show Tinubu in lead
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LAGOS, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Provisional results from Nigeria's disputed presidential election over the weekend showed Bola Tinubu from the ruling party in the lead, a Reuters tally of votes in 25 of the country's 36 states showed on Tuesday. Electoral commission results from the states showed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress party (APC) was ahead with about 36% or 7 million of valid votes counted, with Atiku Abubakar of the main opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP) trailing close behind with 30% or nearly 6 million valid votes. Peter Obi of the smaller Labour Party got 20% or about 3.8 million votes. More results were expected to show the winner later on Tuesday. INEC had promised to upload results directly from each polling unit to its website in the election to replace outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari, but most were unable to do so immediately.

☆ Nigeria's Tinubu has unassailable lead in provisional election results - Reuters tally
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LAGOS, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Nigeria's ruling party candidate Bola Tinubu has an unassailable lead in the presidential election held over the weekend, a Reuters tally of provisional results from all 36 states and the federal capital Abuja showed on Tuesday. Tinubu of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) of outgoing president Muhammadu Buhari got about 35% of the vote, trailed by Atiku Abubakar of the main opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP) with 30%. Peter Obi of the Labour Party, an outsider popular with the youth and educated voters, got 26%. Tinubu's potential victory extends the All Progressives Congress party's (APC) grip on power in Africa's top oil producer and most populous nation, though he inherits a litany of problems from outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari. Reporting by Hamza Ibrahim in Kano, Ahmed Kingimi in Maiduguri, Anamesere Igboeroteonwu in Onitsha Tife Owolabi in Yenagoa, Tim Cocks and Macdonald Dzirutwe in Lagos; Writing by Tim CocksOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Nigeria Election Criticized by International Observers, Opposition Parties
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Gabriele Steinhauser | Gbenga Akingbule | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

LAGOS, Nigeria—Early results from Nigeria’s presidential election showed a sizeable lead for the ruling party’s Bola Tinubu on Monday, as international observers said serious logistical problems, violence and the slow publishing on polling-station results had marred the vote in Africa’s largest economy and most-populous nation. By early Monday evening, results sheets from just over one-third of Nigeria’s 176,846 polling stations had been loaded onto the website of the country’s electoral commission following Saturday’s vote. The commission, which had previously vaunted the immediate publication of those results as a key step toward improving election transparency, said the delays were due to technical glitches and didn’t affect the integrity of the vote.

☆ Nigeria’s Ruling Party Candidate Takes Early Lead in Slow Vote Count
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Gabriele Steinhauser | Gbenga Akingbule | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

LAGOS, Nigeria—Early results from Nigeria’s presidential election showed a healthy lead for the ruling party’s Bola Tinubu , as the electoral commission said technical glitches were slowing down the vote count in Africa’s largest economy and most populous nation. By early afternoon Monday, results from just under a third of polling units had been loaded onto the electoral commission’s website following Saturday’s election. Parallel vote counts by civil-society organizations based on results uploaded so far showed Mr. Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress ahead of Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party, followed by the Labour Party’s Peter Obi .

☆ Nigeria's Peter Obi wins in Lagos state in presidential election
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LAGOS, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Nigerian presidential candidate Peter Obi, whose campaign attracted young people and urban voters fed up with corrupt politics, won most votes in the commercial hub of Lagos state, where Africa's biggest city is located. Nigeria's electoral commission began announcing state-by-state results in the national elections on Sunday, though it is not expected to name a victor in the race to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari for several days. Obi of the Labour Party got 582,454 votes, just ahead of 572,606 for former Lagos governor Bola Tinubu for the governing All Progressives Congress party, electoral commission data showed on Monday. He was most popular with the youth, but especially urban, relatively educated voters with access to smartphones and social media. Reporting by MacDonald Dzirutwe; Writing by Tim Cocks; Editing by Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Nigerian parties criticise slow pace of weekend election count
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Macdonald Dzirutwe | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LAGOS, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Nigeria was to resume announcing presidential election results on Monday amid complaints of irregularities as opposition parties criticised the slow pace at which the results were being uploaded on to the election commission's website. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has so far released official results from only one of 36 states. By 0830 GMT, INEC had uploaded results from 52,236 polling units out of a total 178,846, its website showed. "We take full responsibility for the problems and regret the distress that they have caused the candidates, political parties and the electorate," said INEC. In northern Kano state, police said suspected thugs had attacked a campaign office for a smaller opposition party and set the building on fire, killing two people.

☆ Factbox: Results so far from Nigeria's presidential election
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LAGOS, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Nigeria's electoral commission has announced the following results following the country's presidential election, with the final tally expected within five days of the close of voting on Sunday. Below are tallies for the top three candidates - Bola Tinubu from the All Progressives Congress party (APC), main opposition leader Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the Labour Party's (LP) Peter Obi. EKITI STATEBola Tinubu (APC) 201,494Atiku Abubakar (PDP) 89,554Peter Obi (LP) 11,397Reporting by MacDonald Dzirutwe and Tim Cocks; Editing by Jan HarveyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Nigerians wait to finish voting in some places as election count underway
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Tife Owolabi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] People wait for results during the counting process of Nigeria's presidential election, at a polling unit in Awka, Anambra state, Nigeria February 25, 2023. A Reuters reporter saw voters arriving at polling stations in Yenagoa city, which will open at 10 a.m. (0900 GMT) so electoral commission officials can complete Saturday's presidential and parliamentary election. Voting was also expected to continue in some parts northeastern Borno state, where voting machines failed to work. He is stepping down after winning two previous elections and serving the maximum eight years permitted by the constitution. Whoever wins will face a litany of crises in the country of more than 200 million, Africa's most populous nation.

☆ Nigerians vote for new president, delays seen at some polling stations
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Anamasere Igboereteonwu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/8] People looks for their names on voters list put up on a wall at a polling unit, during Nigeria's Presidential election in Agulu, Anambra state, Nigeria February 25, 2023. Polling stations were scheduled to open at 8:30 a.m. (0730 GMT), though Reuters reporters at locations across the country saw a mixed picture, with delays of several hours in some places while voting got underway more swiftly at others. In the northeastern city of Maiduguri, the vice presidential candidate from the ruling party, Kashim Shettima, arrived to cast his ballot but was unable to do so as his designated polling station had not opened. In another northeastern city, Yola, opposition presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar was able to vote, surrounded by a chaotic scrum of media and supporters. Vote-counting will begin as soon as polls close and results will be posted outside polling stations, according to the Independent National Election Commission (INEC).

☆ 'Unpredictable' election in Africa's largest economy is set to resonate around the world
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

After 24 years of uninterrupted democracy since ending military dictatorship in 1999, Africa's most populous nation and largest economy is conducting its seventh election. Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria's president, speaks during the U.S.-Africa Business Forum in New York. Leena Koni Hoffmann, associate fellow of the Africa Programme at Chatham House, told CNBC on Monday that the presidential election will be the "most unpredictable" since the transition to civilian rule. Alongside the Covid-19 pandemic and war in Ukraine, Koni Hoffmann noted "missed opportunities" and "self-inflicted crises" under Buhari's regime. Economists panned the decision, which Koni Hoffmann suggested rendered Nigeria and its neighbors more vulnerable to the damage of the pandemic.

[1/6] Godwin Nnamdi, 27-year-old fitness trainer and first-time voter, poses for a portrait at a gym in Lagos, Nigeria February 15, 2023. But his active social media campaign and promises to break with Nigeria's gerontocratic past have endeared him to many younger voters. The young and tech-savvy, first-time voters rallying around Obi call themselves the "Obi-dients" - a somewhat incongruous choice for an anti-establishment movement. The former banker has promised jobs, skills training and funding to young Nigerians, but so too have Tinubu and Atiku. If Obi loses, Ndukwe said he would join the wave of skilled Nigerians leaving the country in its perpetual brain drain.

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