Former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari has become the first opposition candidate to win a presidential election in Nigeria.
Gen Buhari beat incumbent
Goodluck Jonathan by more than 2.5 million votes, final results showed.
Mr Jonathan telephoned his
rival to concede defeat. Gen Buhari's supporters took to the streets to
celebrate.
Observers have generally
praised the election, though there have been allegations of fraud.
"I promised the
country free and fair elections. I have kept my word," Mr Jonathan said in
a statement.
He said he had conveyed his
"best wishes" to Mr Buhari, and urged "those who may feel
aggrieved to follow due process... in seeking redress".
A spokesman for Gen
Buhari's All Progressives Congress (APC) party praised Mr Jonathan, saying:
"He will remain a hero for this move. The tension will go down
dramatically."
Gen Buhari's supporters
have celebrated by dancing and singing in the streets in APC strongholds,
including the northern cities of Kano and Kaduna.
Gen Buhari's supporters took to the
streets in APC strongholds such as Kano and Kaduna
Nigeria's electoral
commission officially declared the 72-year-old general the winner of the presidential
election early on Wednesday morning.
The APC won 15,424,921
votes and Mr Jonathan's People's Democratic Party (PDP) gained 12,853,162
votes.
Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari
agreed last week to respect the outcome of the polls
In Will Ross’ analysis, Gen
Buhari's victory is a hugely significant moment in Nigeria's turbulent history.
Never before has a sitting president been defeated in an election.
Since independence from
Britain in 1960, there have been numerous coups and most elections have been
rigged. Of course in a close election there will be many voters who are not
pleased with this outcome but the whole process is a sign that democracy is
deepening in Nigeria.
The poll has once again
brought to the surface dangerous religious and regional differences and there
is still a threat of violence.
The man, who has been voted
out, Goodluck Jonathan, has played a huge part today in trying to prevent that.
He made the phone call when there would no doubt have been some in his camp who
would have preferred to dig their heels in.
The APC issued a statement
after the result was announced, calling for "calm, sober
celebrations" and warning supporters not to attack opponents.
"He or she is not with
me, whoever does that," the president-elect said.
He is due to give a speech
later on Wednesday.
The former military ruler
dominated the country's north-western states, which have suffered most from
attacks by Islamist militant group Boko Haram.
In Borno state, one of the
worst-affected by Islamist violence, Gen Buhari won 94% of the vote.
It is the fourth time that
Gen Buhari, 72, has sought the presidency.
He ruled Nigeria from
January 1984 until August 1985, taking charge after a military coup in December
1983.
Mr Jonathan had led Nigeria
since 2010, initially as acting leader before winning elections in 2011.
Nigeria has suffered from
several attacks by the Islamist militant group Boko Haram, which has killed
thousands of people in its drive to establish an Islamic state.
Many voters have said that
they believe Gen Buhari is better positioned to defeat Boko Haram.
The verdict on Mr Buhari's
20 months as military ruler is mixed.
The European Union's top
diplomat, Federica Mogherini, congratulated Gen Buhari on his victory, saying
she "looked forward to working with" him.
Culled from: bbc.com
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