Nigeria: Ruling party's Bola Tinubu leads vote

Early results in Nigeria's general election showed Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the lead to replace President Muhammadu Buhari. 

Three days after having voted for a new president, Nigerians are still anxiously waiting for the final result.

"A lot of Nigerians are losing patience," DW correspondent Flourish Chukwurah said from Lagos. "Normally at this time, people know who will be president."

"It's difficult to say when we'll hear a final announcement," Chukwurah said, "which gives room for a lot of speculation about rigging."

Voting in Africa's biggest democracy in terms of population went ahead mostly peacefully on Saturday, but it was marred by widespread delays and early accusations of attempts to manipulate ballot counts.

A number of opposition parties, including the Labour Party and the main opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP), have raised allegations of electoral fraud.

 

Delay in results

By Monday afternoon, only a few of Nigeria's 36 states had officially declared their results. Peter Obi from the Labour Party (LP), supported by many young people, won in the commercial hub of Lagos state, followed by Bola Tinubu for the governing All Progressives Congress party, and Atiku Abubakar for the PDP.

All three parties criticized the slow pace at which results were being uploaded to the website of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). In a statement on Sunday, INEC apologized for the delay and underlined that problems were due to "technical hitches."

The commission reassured voters that there was no risk of tampering with the results. "We take full responsibility for the problems and regret the distress that they have caused the candidates, political parties, and the electorate," INEC said.

Growing frustration

Nigerians were frustrated and worried that the delay could lead to electoral malpractice in a country with a history of ballot rigging and vote buying. While some voters have shared online footage of electoral officials at polling units refusing to upload results, some officials have complained about a lack of internet access at their stations.

The introduction of an electronic transmission system was supposed to ensure that results could not be altered by creating a digital version on the INEC website.

The commission introduced the Bimodal Voter Registration System (BVAS) and the Election Result Viewing Portal ( IReV) to ensure transparency and credibility. 

Nigerian political analyst Tie Tie Frank told DW that problems were to be expected. "This is a large country, and we rely heavily on technology and the internet," Frank said. "But there is really no cause for alarm. By Wednesday, we should have a result."

Political parties unhappy

After accusing some state governors of trying to compromise the results, the PDP's presidential candidate Abubakar urged the INEC to upload the results immediately. "It will be a disservice to Nigerians and a negation to democracy for anyone to subvert the will of the people as freely expressed in their votes," he said in a statement.

LP party chair Julius Abure also accused election officials of failing to upload results in order to help Bola Tinubu, the candidate for the ruling APC. The LP announced it would challenge the election outcome in court, alleging that its members were deliberately prevented from voting, chased away violently from polling units, or had ballot papers and boxes destroyed.

Yiaga Africa, a non-profit election observer mission, questioned the delays. "We observed several levels of irregularities which we honestly, as an organization, can no longer excuse," Yiaga co-founder Cynthia Mbamalu said at a press conference.

Ballot-box snatching, violence

Some polling stations did not open on time, and voting continued until Sunday. In Abuja, voter Margaret Egbechi told DW the BVAS machine was faulty. "We voted up until around 7 p.m., and we waited to make sure our result was counted," Egbechi said.

Incidents of violence and intimidation were shared on social media, including the snatching of ballot boxes and tampering with of ballot papers. In northern Kano State, police said suspected thugs had attacked a campaign office for a smaller opposition party and set the building on fire, killing two people. Police said they had killed one of the suspects and arrested four.

Soldiers were also forced to intervene on Sunday after 15 men pretending to be INEC officials stormed a voting-collation center in Lagos, attacking party agents with knives and sticks, according to footage obtained by Reuters.

"The whole process seems to have been very chaotic," Chukwurah said, adding that people were on the streets, waiting and chanting "we must vote!"

The election started on a high note, with President Buhari promising Nigerians that this election would be free and fair. But eventually, it has left a bitter taste as people grow disappointed with how events are unfolding.

'Like no other'

It was an election "like no other," Chukwurah said. "Many young Nigerians voted for the first time," she added. 

Most of Nigeria's youth never experienced military rule, which lasted until 1999, and do not know what it means to be controlled by the government. "They are radical. They believe in democracy. They are not afraid to air their views, and they are also aware of what is happening worldwide. They know their rights."

This is something that many Nigerians were proud of. Voter Leken Sowande told DW that this election had seen a massive voter turnout. "They want a better Nigeria than what we have now."

Will youth vote matter?

About 70% of Nigerians are younger than 30. Nearly 90 million Nigerians were eligible to vote for a successor to President Muhammadu Buhari. Many hope a new leader will better tackle insecurity, improve the economy, and reduce poverty. 

Charles Oba, who did not vote because of work, said he hoped that "the incoming government will focus on economy, education, infrastructure, development and many other things we hope will happen."

Those social issues were another trigger for the youth's enthusiasm during this election, Chukwurah said. "People were saying: I'm going to put my all to ensure we vote for a good government."

Chukwurah said Nigeria was made up of many vibrant, intelligent young people who are educated. But in her eyes, the government did not really reflect that. "We have older men who are corrupt who are not ready to change the status quo," Chukwurah said. "A lot of young people are leaving Nigeria."

Isaac Mugabi in Abuja and Flourish Chukwurah in Lagos contributed to this article

Edited by: Chrispin Mwakideu