Nigerians Are Not Happy. And This Is Their Reason

Interestingly, Nigerians woke up early Wednesday morning (March 1), to learn that a new president has been elected. In Nigeria’s highly contentious election, Bola Tinubu, the candidate for the ruling party, had been declared the winner.

Even before Tinubu was declared the winner, the PDP, Labour Party, and a number of other opposition parties had already rejected the results.

According to the European Union Election Observation Mission, “lack of transparency and operational failures reduced trust in the process and challenged the right to vote.”

In fact, numerous observers stated categorically that the polling was marred by numerous technical issues and concerns about transparency.

Around 90 million eligible voters faced severe economic hardship and worsening security conditions as the polls were held. In addition, INEC was pressured to deliver, but now they bear all the blame.

In Nigeria’s most closely contested election since its return to civilian rule in 1999, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) came to the conclusion that the 70-year-old former governor of Lagos State got 8,794,726 votes, or 36% of the total votes counted.

Despite the fact that an election can only be invalidated if it is demonstrated that the national electoral body largely did not follow the law and acted in ways that could have changed the result, all opposition parties now have only three weeks to appeal the results.

Except for Bola Tinubu supporters, almost everyone in Nigeria is reacting to the most recent results, which they believe were rigged. The turn of events has piqued the interest of Peter Obi’s and Atiku Aboubakar’s supporters.

Several dissatisfied fans share their opinions:

One Chioma Opirum stated,

“It’s evident that the elections did not go well in some places, but INEC have done their thing, and they have announced the winner.”

“I think they should take up the case and do the necessary, if any other party has any issue with the election results.”

“Tinubu is a great man in Nigeria, a great man in Lagos, and he has successfully controlled Lagos for a long time.”

Mushafiu Abina also said,

“During his regime, we people enjoy, there was no suffering, so we are happy as he climbs up to the Federal (government) and achieves it.”

If the former governor of Lagos state is any indication, opposition candidate Peter Obi defeated Bola Tinubu in his stronghold state.

Analysts say that this is the first time that a president takes office with less than 50% of the vote and that four candidates won over a million votes. The tightly contested election has redrawn Nigeria’s electoral geography and produced results that are significantly different from those of previous polls.

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As per the analysts, Tinubu will need to ensure an inclusive government and put a strong emphasis on rebuilding national cohesion because he will face challenges to his legitimacy right from the start.

According to Nnamdi Obasi, senior adviser on Nigeria for the International Crisis Group,

“Tinubu will have to strive to win the support of the larger majority who preferred one of the other candidates, particularly the youth, the Christian groups that were opposed to his Muslim-Muslim ticket, and Igbos in the South East who again feel denied the presidency.”

Meanwhile, on Wednesday morning, Buhari wished Tinubu well and stated that he was the ideal candidate for the position. Additionally, he asserted that the election was valid and that opposition parties seeking to contest the outcome should “take it to the courts, not the streets.”

Tinubu is credited with boosting economic activity and increasing the state’s revenue during his two terms as governor of Lagos, as per Nigeria’s economic hub.

However, by selecting a fellow Muslim to serve as his running mate during the campaign, he broke an unwritten rule in Nigerian politics that divides power between Christians and Muslims.