As of 2.00 am the early hours of March 1, 2023, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says the presentation of results of the presidential polls from states and the federal capital territory has ended.
The electoral umpire also announced that it has begun the final tabulation of the results in preparation for the declaration of the winner of the election to become the next president of the most populated black nation of the world.
Official results declared across the thirty-six states across the country, including the FCT, show the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was leading other top candidates.
In the results, Mr Tinubu of the APC scored the highest votes of 8,805,655 and secured victory in 12 states of Rivers, Borno, Jigawa, Zamfara, Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Ekiti, Ondo, Oyo, and Ogun.
Atiku of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) scored 6,984,290 votes to secure victory in 12 states of Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Kaduna, Gombe, Yobe, Bauchi, Adamawa, Taraba, Osun, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa.
Obi of the Labour Party (LP) got 6,093,962. He won also 12 states of Edo, Cross River, Delta, Lagos, FCT, Plateau, Imo, Ebonyi, Nasarawa, Anambra, Abia, and Enugu.
Others include Mr Kwankwaso of the NNPP with 1,496,687 and other candidates all together have 666,298 respectively.
According to the Constitution, a presidential candidate needs at least 24 or 25 states (including Abuja). Going by the results, Mr Tinubu scored at least 25% of votes in 29 states; Atiku (21) and Obi (16).
The former Lagos state governor would be declared the President-Elect by INEC.
Readers are advised to await the official declaration of the final results by INEC as the only body with the legal powers to declare the winner of an election.
The INEC’s declaration of the official winner is expected to happen in hours.
