The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Wednesday, declared Bola Tinubu, the candidate of Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress, as the winner of Saturday’s presidential election.
Tinubu defeated 17 other candidates who took part in the election, having scored a total of 8,794,726 votes. He also scored over 25 percent of the votes cast in 30 states, more than the 24 states constitutionally required.
His closest rival, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party polled a total of 6,984,520 votes in the election and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, who came third had 6,101,533 votes.
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Meanwhile, Tinubu had 572,606 behind Obi who had 582,354 to win Lagos. The election was marred with violent activities in Eti-Osa, Amuwo-odofin, Oshodi, Oyingbo, and many parts of Lagos.
The APC candidate was an ex-governor of Lagos and he is considered the strong man of Nigeria’s most popular state. He has never lost the state to the opposition since 1999.
While Tinubu’s defeat may not be disconnected from the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the APC and the last #EndSARS killings, some pundits on different television programs have commended the outcome of the poll, saying that it could mark a significant change in the forthcoming governorship election in the state.
There are, however, palpable fears and signs of bloody clashes among supporters of the different political parties in Lagos.
Already, leaders of the APC have threatened some of the local government officials of the party to brace up and work for the party or get sanctioned. Igbo residents have also been threatened at their workplace for voting against the APC.
Battabox findings show that considering the outcome of the presidential election, the governorship election may be driven by anger. There are possibilities of violence in the strongholds of the Labour Party like Festac, Ojo, Ajeromi-Ifelodun, Eti-Osa, Alaba, and other areas of the state.
The aim of the violence is likely to ensure the cancellation of votes from the areas following the electoral law that empowers returning officers to cancel votes where there is violence.
Some residents have, however, said they are scared even as security agencies, particularly the state police command, assured Lagosians of safety.
