Not everything goes smoothly in Nigeria’s presidential election over the weekend. But now the influential politician Bola Tinubu is being declared president of Africa’s most populous country. He is often associated with corruption. The opposition wants to go to court.
One of the country’s most powerful politicians has emerged as the future president from an election marred by glitches and allegations of fraud in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country and largest economy. Bola Ahmed Tinubu from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) party won with 36 percent of the vote, according to the electoral authority INEC in the capital Abuja.
The opposition has accused the electoral authorities of problems in transmitting the results since the start of the count. Election observers from the EU and the West African community of states Ecowas also criticized poor planning and a lack of transparency. Before the election, observers had warned against violence if there was a dispute about the recognition of the results.
In recent years, both the security situation and the economic situation in the country have deteriorated. In the north, jihadists like the terrorist militia Boko Haram are active, and there are kidnappings by armed gangs across the country. Separatists are fighting in the south-east, in the center of the country thousands are dying in conflicts over fertile land. The continent’s formerly leading oil producer is running out of fuel and the state is heavily indebted. To make matters worse, a cash reform shortly before the election meant that there were no banknotes – millions could not buy food. During his time as governor of Lagos from 1999 to 2007, the 70-year-old Tinubu is credited with developing the mega-metropolis into one of the most important economic centers on the continent.
The “godfather of Lagos” is considered one of the richest politicians in the oil-rich country of 220 million people and so influential that he helped incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari win the 2015 elections. “It’s my turn now,” Tinubu said during the election campaign – the saying became a dictum. He has been repeatedly linked to drugs and corruption, but has never been convicted. In a speech, Tinubu thanked the electoral authorities for a free and fair election. “The mishaps that did occur were relatively few in number and did not affect the final result,” he said. He urged his opponents to contest the election in court, not on the street. According to the electoral authority, the candidate from the opposition Democratic People’s Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, came in second with 29 percent.
The outsider from the small workers’ party, Peter Obi, popular with the youth and city dwellers, received 25 percent. Obi’s Labor Party announced that it intends to go to court. 87 million voters were allowed to vote on Saturday – a record. Many polling stations only opened with a considerable delay, and some had to postpone voting to Sunday – partly because of the threat of attacks by armed groups, mostly because of alleged logistical problems. The votes were counted under observation on site, but in many cases the results were not immediately uploaded via an electronic system used for the first time, but were brought to Abuja personally in an envelope by the election officers. As a result, sometimes more than 24 hours passed during which the results were unobserved and could be manipulated – this accusation led the opposition parties on Monday to speak of election fraud and to demand the resignation of the INEC chairman.
“The electoral authority has lost important trust here,” said the Nigerian office manager of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Marija Peran. But she expects the election to stand up in court. “Many people will doubt the result, but in fact have to accept it.” Tinubu is scheduled to take office on May 29. “I understand your pain, your longing for good governance, a functioning economy and a secure nation that protects you and your future,” Tinubu said in his speech to the country’s youth. More than two out of three Nigerians are under 30. The election campaign was charged – the origin, religion and ethnicity of the candidates was the focus like never before. With the obi, which is popular with urban, young and educated classes, there was a promising candidate for the first time who did not belong to the dominant parties APC and PDP and who promised to turn away from the elites. In terms of content, however, the programs differed little.
Before the election, Tinubu had promised to invest in infrastructure, pay security forces better and halve unemployment in the country. Statisticians predict an unemployment rate of 37 percent this year. Almost half of Nigerians live below the poverty line.
