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☆ 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.

☆ 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.

☆ 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 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’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.

☆ 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.

☆ Explainer: What is at stake for investors in Nigeria's election?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Rachel Savage | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Multiple exchange rates, widespread insecurity and low oil production due to massive crude theft are all problems that worry investors. Another focus is soaring fuel subsidy costs that devour government revenues and drive up debt. "No investor's going to want to buy into a market where you can't sell stock and get your money out," he said. Foreign investors held 16% of shares on Nigeria's stock exchange last year, sharply down from 58% in 2014, Nigerian Exchange Group data showed. Many investors, however, were cautiously optimistic that Nigeria would see improvements, whoever wins on Feb. 25.

☆ Opposition supporters attacked in Nigeria ahead of rally
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LAGOS, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Nigerian presidential contender Peter Obi of the opposition Labour Party said his supporters were on Saturday attacked and injured ahead of a rally in the commercial capital Lagos, a stronghold of the ruling party. Previous elections in Africa's most populous nation have been fraught with violence between supporters of rival parties and a number of instances of political violence have occurred ahead of the Feb. 25 parliamentary and presidential vote. "We cannot continue to tolerate attacks on members of the political opposition, often fuelled by the incendiary rhetoric of political leaders," Obi said in a statement, urging police to investigate. At the rally, Obi told supporters he would reform the police to make it more professional, end the oil thefts that have hobbled production in the Niger Delta, and improve security to allow farmers to boost agriculture output. Obi will face Bola Tinubu, the former governor of Lagos and the ruling All Progressives Congress candidate, and former vice president Atiku Abubakar from the main opposition People's Democratic Party.

☆ Factbox: Nigeria election 2023: what you need to know and what's at stake
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Here is what you need to know about the election. Tinubu and Atiku have significant powerbases across Nigeria, while Obi is banking on frustration over the economy and insecurity to turn voters against the two major parties. Obi, who left the PDP last year and was Atiku's running mate in 2019, casts himself as a reformist willing to overhaul Nigeria's political system. But on policy, there is little separating the main candidates. Reporting by MacDonald Dzirutwe; Editing by James Macharia Chege, Gareth Jones and Alex RichardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Nigeria's central bank extends deadline to turn in old naira notes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ABUJA, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Nigeria's central bank will extend by 10 days a deadline for swapping old naira currency notes, it said in a statement on Sunday. Nigerians will now have until Feb. 10 to turn in 1,000 ($2.17), 500 and 200 naira notes. The central bank (CBN) started releasing newly designed notes last month but many say they cannot find them at banks or cash machines. Nigerian legislators and opposition presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar had called on the central bank to extend the Jan 31 deadline. About 1.3 trillion naira in old notes has been deposited into the bank since the announcement in October, the bank has said.

☆ Nigeria's Atiku joins calls to extend deadline on old banknotes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LAGOS, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Nigerian opposition presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar urged the central bank on Saturday to extend a Jan. 31 deadline to phase out old high-value banknotes, a measure many Nigerians fear will disrupt business in the cash-reliant economy. The central bank started releasing newly designed notes last month but many Nigerians say they are not yet available in banks. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) says recalling the notes is part of plans to reduce the use of cash. About 1.3 trillion naira in old notes has been deposited into the bank since the announcement in October, the bank said this week. Nigerian legislators have also asked the central bank to extend the Tuesday deadline.

☆ Nigeria's Obasanjo clinches unlikely Ethiopia truce
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Former Nigerian president and African Union envoy Olesegun Obasanjo arrives for the signing of the AU-led negotiations to resolve the conflict in northern Ethiopia, in Pretoria , South Africa, November 2, 2022. Summary Obasanjo stepped down as Nigeria's president in 2007Now aged 85, he took up peace-making in retirementMediated in crises from Ivory Coast to MozambiqueJOHANNESBURG, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Olusegun Obasanjo has had mixed results as a mediator of intractable conflicts across Africa since he stepped down as Nigeria's president in 2007, although he has never tired of trying. Obasanjo stepped down from Nigeria's presidency in 2007 and presided over elections that marked the first handover of power from one civilian head of state to another in Nigeria since it became independent from Britain in 1960. The test now is whether Ethiopia's conflict is on track for a permanent peace deal or just a temporary respite. After Abacha's death in 1998, Obasanjo was released and was elected as civilian president in 1999.

☆ Nigerian presidential contender Abubakar calls for flood relief fund
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/6] Former Nigeria Vice President Atiku Abubakar adresses the People's Democratic Party delegates during the Special convention in Abuja, Nigeria May 28, 2022. REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde/File PhotoLAGOS, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Nigeria's main opposition presidential contender on Wednesday called on the government to immediately set up a flood disaster fund similar to one created to fight the coronavirus pandemic, to help victims hit by the worst floods in a decade. Atiku Abubakar said after a trip to oil-producing Bayelsa state, one of the worst hit, that the floods were a reminder of the impact of climate change and urged the government to immediately launch a Flood Disaster Relief Fund. "It is a national emergency relief fund, similar in scope to what was initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic," Abubakar said, referring to a $1.4 billion fund that the government launched in 2020 at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. Critics have accused the federal government of being slow to help flood victims.

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☆ Cholera outbreak hits Syrian refugees sheltering in camps in Lebanon
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Maya Gebeily | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Syrian refugee children stand near water way at an informal camp in Qab Elias, in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley October 18, 2022. REUTERS/Mohamed AzakirQUB ELIAS, Lebanon, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Syrian refugees in displacement camps are falling victim to a cholera outbreak in Lebanon, already suffering from an economic meltdown that has slashed access to clean water and strained hospitals. Lebanon recorded its first cholera case in early October -- signalling the return of the bacteria for the first time in 30 years. WHO country director Abdinasir Abubakar told Reuters cholera posed a "very high risk" for Lebanon – and that transmission to other countries was likely. "Now it's affecting more Syrian refugees, but sooner or later we will see more cases for Lebanese,” Abubakar said.

☆ Nigeria floods: 76 die in Anambra fleeing rising water levels
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

People stranded due to floods following several days of downpours In Kogi Nigeria, Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022. Lokoja the capital city of Kogi state is experiencing the worse flood ever, and body is saying anything. In neighboring Nasarawa state, which is also grappling with flood water cascading down the River Benue, farmers are counting their losses from ravaged farmlands. Pictures from Kogi state flood. pic.twitter.com/frjiyBOYkr — Adenike Titilope Oladosu (@the_ecofeminist) October 5, 2022Climate activists are intensifying the call for climate finance to address Nigeria’s climate crisis.

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