Reuters, LAGOS, February 28 – State-by-state results from Saturday’s presidential poll have begun to be released by Nigeria’s electoral commission.
Allegations of irregularities have been made by all three main parties. Despite not being on the same scale as past elections, there have been reports of violence and intimidation.
Here are the election procedure specifics and the current lead.
WHO ARE THE MAIN CANDIDATES?
There are 18 candidates running for president, but only three are thought to have a shot. They are Peter Obi of the smaller Labour Party, Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress party (APC), and Atiku Abubakar of the major opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) (LP).
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In some areas of the north, a fourth candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), is predicted to perform well.
WHO IS LEADING?
With about 35% or 7.5 million valid ballots counted, Tinubu was in the lead, according to a Reuters analysis of provisional results announced by electoral officials in 31 of Nigeria’s 36 states and the federal capital Abuja. Atiku was in second place with 29% or nearly 6.2 million valid votes.
Obi received 25% of the vote, or roughly 5.2 million.
WHAT VOTING SYSTEM IS USED?
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters in Abuja are physically tallying the results from 176,846 polling places and electronically transmitting them to the website.
At the district, local government, and state levels, the outcomes are also totaled. Each state sends a returning officer to Abuja with a tally sheet, which is then compared with results sent straight from polling places to the national collation center.
The INEC chairman will reveal the national results and name a winner after the results from every state and the federal territory of Abuja are confirmed.
WHERE DOES A WINNER COME FROM?
If a candidate receives at least 25% of the votes submitted in at least 24 states, they will win the election with a simple majority. If nobody succeeds in that, a runoff will be conducted in the following 21 days.
SOURCE: Reuters.com