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Photos: Tinubu, supporters celebrate Nigeria election win

Election officials declared governing party candidate Bola Tinubu the winner of Nigeria’s presidential election.

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Nigeria Elections
Supporters of Tinubu celebrate the election win at the party's campaign headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria. [Ben Curtis/AP Photo]
By AP
Published On 1 Mar 2023

The governing party candidate, Bola Tinubu, was declared the winner of Nigeria’s presidential election early on Wednesday.

Soon after, he thanked his supporters and appealed to his rivals, who have been demanding revoting in Africa’s most populous nation, to accept the result.

The announcement by election officials overnight was likely to lead to a court challenge by the second- and third-highest finishers in the weekend vote, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi.

Abubakar finished second in the 2019 polls, and he appealed the results before his lawsuit was ultimately dismissed.

Tinubu’s All Progressives Congress party urged the opposition to accept defeat and not cause trouble after they demanded revoting saying that delays in uploading election results had made room for irregularities.

Tinubu received nearly 8.8 million votes, or 37 percent, while the main opposition candidate, Abubakar, won 29 percent. Third-place finisher Obi took 25 percent with about 6.1 million votes, according to the results announced on live television by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Nigeria Elections
The president-elect thanked his supporters in the capital, Abuja, after his victory was announced, and struck a reconciliatory tone in a message directed at his political adversaries. [Ben Curtis/AP Photo]
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Nigeria Elections
The announcement of his victory came after 4am but celebrations had already started late on Tuesday at the governing party’s national secretariat, where Tinubu’s supporters had gathered in anticipation of his victory. [Ben Curtis/AP Photo]
Nigeria Elections
Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), receives a document as results for individual states are read out at the National Collation Centre in Abuja. [Ben Curtis/AP Photo]
Nigeria Elections
Election officials declared governing party candidate Tinubu as the winner of Nigeria's presidential election, with the two leading opposition candidates demanding revoting in Africa's most populous nation. [Ben Curtis/AP Photo]
Nigeria Elections
Tinubu, 70, is the former governor of Lagos State. [Ben Curtis/AP Photo]
Nigeria Elections
Nigeria’s presidential election has been closely watched as the country is not only the continent’s largest economy but also one of its top oil producers. [Ben Curtis/AP Photo]
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Nigeria Elections
Tinubu supporters celebrate ahead of the final declaration of election results. [Ben Curtis/AP Photo]
Nigeria Elections
Observers have said polls were mostly peaceful, though delays caused some voters to wait until the following day to cast their ballots. [Ben Curtis/AP Photo]
Nigeria Elections
'I take this opportunity to appeal to my fellow contestants to let us team up together,' Tinubu said. 'It is the only nation we have. It is one country, and we must build together.' [Ben Curtis/AP Photo]