On Wednesday, the United States congratulated Nigeria on the election of Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate from the ruling party, while urging calm amid allegations of voter fraud and concerns regarding technical issues. Tinubu was declared the winner of the February 25 polls in Africa’s most populous democracy. State Department spokesman Ned Price stated, “The United States congratulates the people of Nigeria, president-elect Tinubu, and all the political leaders.” He emphasized that this competitive election marks a new period for Nigerian politics and democracy.
According to the Independent National Electoral Commission, Tinubu, representing the ruling All Progressives Congress, secured 8.8 million votes. In contrast, his main opposition candidates, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, received 6.9 million and 6.1 million votes, respectively. Price acknowledged the dissatisfaction among some Nigerians regarding the legitimacy of the results, noting that at least one opposition figure has vowed to challenge the outcome. He remarked, “We understand that many Nigerians and some of the parties have expressed frustration about the manner in which the process was conducted.” Price affirmed that Nigerians have the right to voice their concerns and should hold high expectations for their electoral process, urging political leaders to express their grievances through established legal mechanisms.
Nigerian officials had anticipated that new biometric voter identification technology would ensure a cleaner election; however, malfunctions, long delays, and slow results have intensified accusations of fraud. In light of the situation, Price called on all parties to avoid violence and inflammatory rhetoric during this critical time.
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