Pretoria News

Election triumph for Nigeria’s ruling party

NIGERIA’S ruling party has won the majority of governorships contested in last weekend’s elections, results showed yesterday, following a ballot marred by violence, intimidation and vote buying.

Elections were held to choose governors in 28 of Nigeria’s 36 states and state assembly lawmakers. Governors in the remaining eight states had earlier been chosen in by-elections due to court rulings.

The local elections came three weeks after the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, won a presidential ballot that rivals said was massively rigged.

According to the results from Saturday’s vote declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), APC won the governorship in 15 states. The main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won seven. The New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) emerged victorious in Kano, northern Nigeria’s largest state.

The two main opposition presidential candidates – PDP’s Atiku Abubakar, who came second, and Peter Obi of Labour Party who was third – are challenging Tinubu’s victory in court.

Outsider Obi won the most votes in Lagos, considered the fiefdom of president-elect Tinubu. The APC’s Babajide Sanwo-Olu scored a landslide re-election as Lagos governor. But voters and opposition parties complained about technical mishaps. |

WORLD

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2023-03-22T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-03-22T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://pretorianews.pressreader.com/article/281694029022614

African News Agency