The INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu has officially declared Muhammadu Buhari the winner of the 2019 Presidential elections in Nigeria.
“I Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, hereby certify that I am the Chief Returning Officer for the Presidential Election held on the 23rd February, 2019. That the election was contested and the candidates received the following Votes:
Total Number of Registered Voters: 82,344,107
Total Number of Accredited Voters: 29,364,209
Total Votes Cast: 28,614,190
Total Valid Votes: 27,324,583
Rejected Votes: 1,289,607
AAC: 33,953
ADC: 97,874
ADP: 54,930
APC: 15,191,847 – Winner
PDP: 11,262,978
SDP: 34,746
That Mohammadu Buhari of the APC, having satisfied the requirement of the law and scored the highest number of votes is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected.
Buhari scored 15, 191, 847 votes to emerge as the winner of the contest with his closest rival Atiku Abubakar scoring 11,262,978 votes.
While many Nigerians on social media seem to be shocked at his win, the results on ground show that the incumbent President enjoyed wide support across the country with what I call a ‘silent majority’ who preferred his candidacy to that of the others.
It is also important to note that voter turnout in the areas where Buhari has large support was higher than in other parts of the country. Average voter turnout by geo-political zones showed;
North West – 52.33%
North East – 42.49%
North Central – 36.5%
South West – 32.66%
South South – 28.49%
South East – 20.42%
The national average was 35%.
I just hope the ‘Next Level’ is faster and more prosperous for Nigerians.
