UPDATED: #NigeriaDecides2019: INEC declares Buhari winner of presidential poll

Chidi Samuel|

Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has declared President Muhammadu Buhari winner of Saturday’s presidential election.

According to the INEC boss, a certificate of return will be issued to Buhari and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo at the International Conference Center (ICC).

I, Professor Mahmood Yakubu hereby certify that I was the returning officer for the election held on the 23rd of February, 2019.

“That Muhammadu Buhari having satisfied the requirements of the law, having scored the highest number of votes is hereby returned elected,” the INEC boss declared on Wednesday morning.

From the results collated from the 36 states by INEC at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, Buhari has scored the highest votes in the 2019 presidential election polling 15,191,847 votes. His closest challenger Atiku Abubakar, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), polled 11,262,978 votes.

Incumbent President Buhari won in 19 states, securing the statutorily required 25 percent of votes cast in 24 or more of the 36 states. He took Kaduna, Jigawa, Niger, Yobe, Gombe, Kogi, Nasarawa, Kwara, Osun, Ekiti, Bauchi, Lagos, Ogun, Kano, Katsina, Borno, Sokoto, Kebbi, and Zamfara states.

While Atiku Abubakar lead in 17 states and the FCT – Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Abia, Ondo, Adamawa, Taraba, Oyo, Edo, Benue, Imo, Plateau, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers.

The PDP has already rejected the results saying they were manipulated.

STATES

APC                                          PDP
Abia  85,058                           219,698
Adamawa  378,078          410,266
Akwa Ibom 175,429        395,832
Anambra  33,298                524,738
Bauchi  798,428                   209,313
Bayelsa  118,821                  197,933
Benue  347,668                       356,817
Borno  836,496                       71,788
Cross River 117,302           295,737
Delta 221,292                       594,068
Ebonyi 90,726                        258,573
Edo 267,842                            275,691
Ekiti 219,231                        154,032
Enugu 54,423                       355,553
FCT 152,224                         259,997
Gombe 402,961                 138,484
Imo 140,463                          334,923
Jigawa 794,738                    289,895
Kaduna 993,445                   649,612
Kano 1,464,768                    391,593
Katsina 1,232,133               308,056
Kebbi 581,552                       154,282
Kogi 285,894                            218,207
Kwara 308,984                      138,184
Lagos 580,825                         448,015
Nasarawa 289,903                283,847
Niger 612,371                          218,052
Ogun 281,762                         194,655
Ondo 241,769                           275,901
Osun 347,634                           337,377
Oyo 365,229                              366,690
Plateau 468,555                      548,665
Rivers 150,710                          473,971
Sokoto 490,333                        361,604
Taraba 324,906                          374,743
Yobe 497,914                                50,763
Zamfara 438,682                        125,423
Total: 15,041,137                   10,789,007