Opposition leader Muhammadu Buhari has opened up a slight lead over President Goodluck Jonathan in a tight Nigerian election that looks set to go down to the wire.
Results from Nigeria’s elections, potentially the closest contest since the end of military rule in 1999, trickled in on Monday after a weekend vote marred by confusion, arguments and sporadic violence.
After announcing results in 18 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the Independent National Electoral Commision (INEC) suspended the announcement of results late on Monday night local time – saying that they would start again at 09:00 GMT on Tuesday morning.
The electoral commission announced that the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), the party of presidential challenger Buhari, took the most votes in Oyo, Kogi, Kwara, Katsina, Kaduna, Osun, Kano, Jigawa and Ondo states.
President Jonathan’s ruling PDP took the most votes in Nasawara, Ekiti, Enugu, Abia, Imo, Akwa Ibom, Plateau and Anambra states and the FCT.
Buhari was leading the overall vote count by more than two million votes.
Results from each of the 36 federal states plus the FCT were being tallied at the International Conference Centre in Abuja, t he capital.
To win the election, a candidate needs to win more than 50 percent of the total votes nationally – and take at least 25 percent of the vote in two thirds of the states.
Source: Al Jazeera
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