Politician Bola Tiinub, long hailed as the “father of modern Lagos,” has won a tight race to succeed Muhammadu Buhari as Nigeria’s next president.
Mahmoud Yakub, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), announced earlier on Wednesday, March 1, that Tinub “fulfills the requirements of the law and is hereby declared and elected the winner.”
Hours after three opposition parties called for the cancellation of what they called a “sham” election, Tinub garnered 8.8 million votes, beating former deputy-turned-rival Atiku Abubakar and surprise front-runner Peter O. They received 6.9 million and 6.1 million votes, respectively.
As supporters cheered “Jagaban” (the title of the local chief), Tinub said, “This is a serious task, and I hereby accept it. To serve you, to work with you, to make Nigeria great.”
He added, “I appeal to my contestants to unite us. This is our only nation. This is a nation we must build together.”
The former two-term governor of Lagos is regarded as the most influential political godfather in Nigeria’s current history. president.
His rise to fame began in 1992 when he was elected Senator of Lagos. A year later, the presidential election was canceled by the junta, when he joined a coalition of politicians and civil society calling for new elections.
Supporter Adnik Mutiyat Abubakar, 43, said: “He’s done it before and we know he’s going to do better than in Lagos. He’s the people’s man so that’s what everyone is doing. Everyone wants him to be president.”
Tinnub’s representative deeds appeared in 2015. Back then, his Action Congress for Nigeria (ACN) merged with Buhari’s Progressive Congress for Change (CPC) to form the All Progressive Congress (APC), which ousted then-President Goodluck Jonathan.
Political experts speculate that it is only a matter of time before Tinub tries to secure the presidency for himself. In the end, the “Emi lokan” (Yoruba for “my turn”) slogan became the hallmark of his campaign.
Earlier on Tuesday, February 28, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the Labor Party (LP) and the African Democratic Congress Party (CDC) held a press conference calling for the cancellation of the election results, calling the poll a “fake” and merely “Distribute rather than collate votes”.