LAGOS: Nigeria’s president-elect Bola Tinubu on Wednesday called on his rivals and their supporters to “join hands” with him, after a contested election with opposition parties looking to challenge a vote they say was tainted by fraud.

The 70-year-old former Lagos governor was declared winner of Saturday’s presidential election, securing his life-long ambition of heading Africa’s most populous nation.

With President Muhammadu Buhari stepping down in May after two terms, many Nigerians hoped the vote would usher in a leader capable of tackling growing insecurity, righting the economy and easing poverty.

The final results gave Tinubu, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), 8.8 million votes against 6.9 million for opposition Peoples Demo­cratic Party (PDP) candidate Atiku Abubakar.

The Labour Party’s Peter Obi notched up 6.1 million votes, confirming his success as a surprise third candidate.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) confirmed Tinubu as president-elect after he also secured the required number of votes across two-thirds of Nigeria’s states — a rule meant to ensure broad representation.

But the February 25 election was marked by long delays and slow arrival of online results, angering voters and opposition parties who claimed massive vote-rigging.

“The purported results did not meet the minimum criteria of a transparent, free and fair election,” said Obi’s running mate, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed.

“We will go to court,” he said, while urging supporters to “remain peaceful and calm”.

Candidates who want to contest the election have 21 days following the announcement of results to bring their case to the courts.

At a ceremony on Wednesday where Tinubu was handed the official certificate stating he won the election, he asked his opponents “to come in so that we may begin the task of rebuilding our national home together”.

“I ask that you not allow the disappointment of this moment to keep you from realising the historic national progress we can make by joining hands and hearts in common endeavour to pull this nation through,” said Tinubu, a Muslim from the southern Yoruba community.

The long-time political kingmaker had campaigned on his experience as Lagos governor from 1999 to 2007, charging ahead with the slogan “It’s my turn” to govern Africa’s largest economy. But his promise of reviving hope was attacked by rivals, who questioned his health, past graft accusations and ties to Buhari, criticised for failing in his vow to make Nigeria safer.

Mixed reactions greeted Tinubu’s election victory on Wednesday. In the northern city of Kano, some residents celebrated the news.

“I’m delighted that Tinubu has won the election despite the challenges and gimmicks by the opposition in trying to scuttle the election by calling for its cancellation,” said butcher Anas Ibrahim, 32.

Elsewhere, other voters were angry, expressing concerns over how the INEC managed the tallies.

“The INEC chairman has failed to make the results transparent. Nobody is happy... we are definitely going to court. Tinubu can’t be the president,” said Edwin Oluma, 23, a student in the capital Abuja.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2023