Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu has declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu as winner of the 2023 presidential election.
The INEC chair made the declaration on Wednesday at the National Collation Centre, Abuja.
Tinubu defeated 17 other candidates who took part in the election. He scored a total of 8,794,726 votes, the highest of all the candidates, thus meeting the first constitutional requirement to be declared the winner.
He also scored over 25 per cent of the votes cast in 30 states, more than the 25 states constitutionally required.
INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu, who announced the final results in the early hours of Wednesday in Abuja, said Atiku Abubakar of the PDP came second in the election.
Atiku polled a total of 6,984,520 votes in the election.
Peter Obi of the Labour Party came third in the election with a total of 6,101,533 votes while Rabiu Kwankwaso of the NNPP came fourth with 1,496,687 votes.
Only the top four candidates won the presidential election in at least one state. Each of Messrs Tinubu, Atiku and Obi won in 12 states while Mr Kwankwaso won only in Kano.
However, winning a majority of states is not a requirement for a candidate to be declared the winner of the election.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has raised the alarm that danger is lurking around the country over the alleged compromise of the ongoing election process.
Obasanjo appealed to the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), to prevail on the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Mahmood Yakubu, to stop the process and rectify the allegations raised against it from many quarters.
Obasanjo in a personally signed letter titled, “An appeal for caution and rectification,” released on Monday, said some politicians had compromised some electoral officials to make the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System machines not to work.
He said, “I am constrained to speak at this point. I crave the indulgence of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency General Muhammadu Buhari, to make this statement because I have had opportunity to keep him aware of what I know is happening and the danger looming ahead.
“On many occasions in the past, I have not hesitated to point out lacuna in the action of the President and his government. But as far as the election issues are concerned, the President has proved beyond reasonable doubt that he will want to leave a legacy of free, fair, transparent and credible elections.
“Until last Saturday night, February 25, 2023, the good and noble plan and preparation for the elections seemed to be going well. For the Independent National Electoral Commission, a lot of money was spent to introduce Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), and the server for immediate transmission of results from polling units. It is no secret that INEC officials, at operational levels, have been allegedly compromised to make what should have worked not to work and to revert to manual transmission of results which is manipulated and the results doctored.
“The Chairman of INEC may claim ignorance but he cannot fold his hands and do nothing when he knows that election process has been corrupted and most of the results that are brought outside BVAS and server are not a true reflection of the will of Nigerians who have made their individual choice. At this stage, we do not need wittingly or unwittingly to set this country on fire with the greed, irresponsibility and unpatriotic act of those who allegedly gave money to INEC officials for perversion and those who collected the blood money.
“Let me appeal to the Chairman of INEC, if his hands are clean, to save Nigeria from the looming danger and disaster which is just waiting to happen. If the Chairman can postpone elections four days to the election, he can do everything to rectify the errors of the last two days – no BVAS, no result to be acceptable; and no uploading through Server, no result to be acceptable.
“Whereas, BVAS and Servers have been manipulated or rendered inactive, such results must be declared void and inadmissible for election declaration. Chairman INEC, I have thought that you would use this wonderful opportunity to mend your reputation and character for posterity.
“Your Excellency, President Buhari Muhammadu, tension is building up and please let all elections that do not pass the credibility and transparency test be cancelled and be brought back with areas where elections were disrupted for next Saturday, March 4, 2023, and BVAS and Server officials be changed. To know which stations or polling units were manipulated, let a committee of INEC staff and representatives of the four major political parties with the Chairman of Nigerian Bar Association look into what must be done to have hitch-free elections next Saturday.
“Mr. President, may your plan and hope for leaving a legacy of free, fair, transparent and credible election be realised. Mr. President, please don’t let anybody say to you that it does not matter or it is the problem of INEC. On no account should you be seen as part of the collusion or compromise. When the die is cast, it will be your problem as the Chief Executive of the nation. The Chairman of INEC may sneak out of the country or go back to his Ivory Tower. Your Excellency, thank you for hearing me out.
“Compatriot Nigerians, please exercise patience until the wrong is righted. I strongly believe that nobody will toy with the future and fortune of Nigeria at this juncture.”
Following clamour for extension of the deadline due to upsurge in the number of potential registrants and the attendant logistics hitches, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, last week, said extension might be considered.
Some online reports claimed the deadline had been extended prompting celebration in some quarters.
Asked if was true the deadline has been extended to August 31, 2022, Mr Rotimi Oyekanmi, chief press secretary to the INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, said: “No. It is not true. The deadline for the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) is still 30th June. The online pre-registration service closed since 30th May.
“What the Commission has done to respond to the surge in numbers of those who want to register, is to deploy more INEC Voter Enrollment Devices (IVEDs) to areas where the pressure is highest.
“These areas are all the states in the South-East region, Kano, Lagos and the FCT.”
The former Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, spoke in Abeokuta, Ogun State, at a reception for him (Sanusi) as part of activities marking the 80th birthday of Babanla Adinni of Egbaland, Chief Tayo Sowunmi.
Sanusi said, “To be honest, we are living on extra time. In 2015, we were in a deep hole. In 2023, we will be in an even much deeper hole than in 2015.
“Those struggling to be President, I hope they understand that the problems that they are going to face are multiples of the problems that were faced in 2015. All of us have to be ready for difficult decisions and if they are taken, we are all going to pay for them.
“But the solution is not for all of us to jump into politics. This country needs good politicians. It needs imams, pastors and bishops who are going to stand up and remind them (politicians) of the fear of God. It needs technocrats who are going to critique their policies. It needs traditional rulers who are going to speak as the conscience of the people. Everyone has a role to play and we should try to play that role to the best of our ability.”
The Chairman of INEC, Mahmood Yakubu, represented by a National Commissioner, Kunle Ajayi, stated this in Abuja during a policy roundtable conference on political campaign finance organised by The Electoral Forum, an organ of the Initiative for Research, Innovation and Advocacy in Development with support from MacArthur Foundation.
He said, “As long as we have not notified anybody that the race to the 2023 general election has started, we are not unaware of what anybody is doing. We follow the law strictly.
“We have not officially declared notice for the 2023 general election, but when we so declare, we will put our monitoring committees to motion like the Central Bank of Nigeria, DSS, EFCC, the ICPC, (commercial) banks and other law enforcement agencies. We have that plan already.
“Every candidate must be made to declare his bank asset. That is where they draw out their money, so we will make them present their statement of account right from the onset.
“We will make it mandatory for them to turn in their bank statement so that if they say they are doing billboard and the account remains the same, then there is a problem.”
Speaking on the issue of vote-buying, Mahmood said, “We are going to establish finance monitoring teams and they will be among the electorate but they (politicians and political parties) won’t know.
“We are going to do it in a way that the influence of money will be reduced because we want to make the electoral field a level playing ground for both rich and poor candidates and electorates. Everybody will go on an equal economic level so that you won’t influence the voting pattern.”
This was made known by the INEC Deputy Director of Voter Education Division, Mary Nkem, at a roadshow on the CVR organised by the commission in Abuja.
According to Nkem, the exercise would be taking place from 9 am to 3 pm from Monday to Friday, excluding weekends.
“It will involve two processes, that is, online pre-registration and physical registration.
“ So, people can sit in the comfort of their homes and login details for registration.
“Then go to any of our local government or state office to capture their biometrics and photographs; or you appear physically at any designated register,” she said.
“It is also to let FCT residents know those who are being targeted in the exercise; those who have turned 18 after the last registration exercise, or those who are more than 18 years but have never registered.
“This exercise is also for those who have issues with their accreditation during the past elections, those who have issues with their Permanent Voter Cards or their biometric details,” Nkem explained.
The Republic of Congo will hold its presidential election on March 21 , public television said , with President Denis Sassou Nguesso , who has been in power for a total of 36 years , named as his party ’ s candidate .
The defence and security forces will vote on March 17 , enabling them to be deployed on polling day four days later .
It is the first time since the Republic of Congo , also called Congo – Brazzaville , has adopted a two – phase ballot since it introduced multiparty elections in 1992 .
A low – scale effort to update the national electoral roll vote has been underway since January 7 .
But it is being boycotted by the opposition , which says a census known as RGPH that began last year should be the basis for voter registration.
That scheme has yet to finish and has no set end date .
Just seven days to the inauguration of a new administration, the President of the United States , Donald Trump, was impeached .
With the development , Trump becomes the first US president to be impeached twice .
The House of Representatives voted after a debate on the article of impeachment read by the Speaker , Nancy Pelosi .
The final vote was 232 to 197 , with 10 House Republicans supporting the measure , while five abstained , The Guardian UK said .
The matter will now go before the Senate, which will decide whether Trump should be convicted and removed from office or not .
The House voted on a single article of impeachment – a formal charge – accusing Trump of “ incitement of insurrection ” just a week after a pro -Trump mob rampaged through the US Capitol in a deadly protest .
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she would push ahead with efforts to remove President Donald Trump from office during the final days of his administration after his supporters ’ violent attack on the Capitol .
Pelosi , the top Democrat in Congress , said there would be a resolution in the House of Representatives on Monday calling for the cabinet to remove Trump as unfit for office under the constitution’ s 25 th amendment .
If Vice President Mike Pence does not agree , “we will proceed with bringing impeachment legislation ” to the floor of the House of Representatives , Pelosi said .
“ In protecting our Constitution and our Democracy , we will act with urgency , because this President represents an imminent threat to both , ” she said .
“ As the days go by , the horror of the ongoing assault on our democracy perpetrated by this President is intensified and so is the immediate need for action . ”
US President Donald Trump said he will not attend the inauguration of President – elect Joe Biden on January 20 , 2021 .
He said this a day after Biden ’ s Electoral College win was certified by a joint session of the US Congress .
“ To all of those who have asked , I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20 th , ” Trump wrote on his official Twitter handle .
The President had earlier issued a broadcast saying he ’ s now focused on delivering a smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power .
He also addressed the invasion of the US Capitol by his supporters who were egged on by his claims of widespread voter fraud in the election of November 3 , 2020 .
He said , “ I ’ ll like to begin by addressing the heinous attack on the United States Capitol . Like all Americans , I am outraged by the violence , lawlessness and mayhem. I immediately deployed the National Guard and Federal Law Enforcement to secure the building and expel the intruders . America is and must always be a nation of law and order.
“ The demonstrators who infiltrated the nation’ s Capitol have defiled the seat of American democracy . To those who engaged in acts of violence and destruction, you do not represent our country. And to those who broke the law , you will pay .
“ We have just been through an intense election and emotions are high . Now temper must be cooled and calm restored . We must get on with the business of America .
“ My campaign vigorously pursued every legal avenue to content the election results . My only goal was to ensure the integrity of the vote . In so doing , I was fighting to defend America ’ s democracy . I continue to strongly believe that we must reform our election laws to verify the identity and eligibility of all voters and to ensure faith and confidence in all future elections .
“ Now , Congress has certified the results . A new administration will be inaugurated on January 20 th . My focus now turns to ensure a smooth , orderly and seamless transition of power . This moment calls for healing and reconciliation.
“ 2020 has been a challenging time for our people . A menacing pandemic has abandoned the lives of our citizens , isolated millions in their homes , damaged our economy and claimed countless lives .
“ Defeating this pandemic and rebuilding the greatest economy on earth will require all of us working together . It will require our renewed emphasis on the civic values of patriots, faith charity , community and family , We must revitalise the sacred bonds of love and loyalty that binds us all together as one national family .
LatestNewsUpdates 