Nigeria elections; Why Atiku Abubakar has rejected Muhammadu Buhari’s victory

Nigerian elections body has already declared Muhammadu Buhari as te newly elected President in an election that was marred by violence among other mishaps but one of the Presidential candidates is not happy with the polls whatsoever.

The runner-up in Nigeria’s presidential election has rejected the result as a “throwback to the jackboot era of military dictatorship”.

Atiku Abubakar criticised what he called a “sham election”.

President Muhammadu Buhari won Saturday’s election with a margin of nearly four million votes, according to the country’s election commission.Delays and violence marred the run up to the poll but no independent observer has cited electoral fraud.

In the 1980s, Mr Buhari, 76, was one of several military rulers in Nigeria and this election marks the 20th anniversary of the return to civilian rule.

In his acceptance speech, Mr Buhari urged his supporters not to “gloat or humiliate” the opposition following his victory.

“No section or group will feel left behind or left out,” he promised in the speech.

Mr Buhari got 15.2 million votes while Mr Abubakar received 11.3 million.

What he said

Turnout was a record low at just 35.6% and Mr Abubakar, 72, said this was the result of a deliberate policy to prevent his supporters from voting.

He said that troops had been deployed to strongholds of his People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to stop people casting their ballots.

Mr Abubakar said there had been “premeditated malpractices” in many states and wondered how states “ravaged” by the Islamist insurgency – in Mr Buhari’s strongholds in the north – generated higher voter turnouts than more peaceful states.

“How can total votes in Akwa-Ibom, for instance, be 50% less than what they were in 2015?” he asked in his statement.

President Uhuru Kenyatta has already send Buhari a congratulatory message following his announcement as the new President.

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