What Nigeria needed above all was a clean election to reiterate the basic message of democracy: that a sovereign people can choose its leaders. Sadly, it did not happen. The election — which appears to have delivered the presidency to Bola Tinubu, a wealthy political fixer running for the incumbent All Progressives Congress — was badly mismanaged at best. It failed to set the example needed for west Africa, a region where too many national leaders have extended term limits or resorted to seizing power at gunpoint. Nigeria remains a democracy, but only just.

The omens had been better. The emergence of Peter Obi as a viable third-party candidate had brought excitement and forced candidates to talk about policies, if only a little. Neutral observers thought the Independent National Electoral Commission was in good shape. They had high expectations that INEC’s promise to transmit voting tallies electronically from polling stations would eliminate ballot stuffing. The outgoing president, Muhammadu Buhari, had staked what remains of his tattered reputation on a clean contest.

Yet the INEC badly misfired. Voting started late in many districts, depriving millions of the right to vote. The system to upload results from 177,000 polling stations stuttered, causing legitimate concerns of vote tampering during long delays. Violence was troubling. Party goons invaded many polling stations in what appeared to be blatant acts of intimidation. The Financial Times witnessed armed men remove a presidential ballot box in Surulere, Lagos.
The official result put Tinubu on 37 per cent, Atiku Abubakar from the People’s Democratic party on 29 per cent and Obi on 25 per cent. But some individual results do not pass the smell test. That includes Obi’s ever-so narrow victory in Lagos state, where crowds had greeted him like a rock star.

More worrying still was voter turnout, which was pitifully low at 27 per cent. If official results are right, two-thirds of the 87mn people who lined up for hours to collect their voter registration cards failed to cast their ballot. Apathy cannot explain it. Something, including the possibility of widespread voter suppression, must have prevented them from voting. Total turnout of 25mn votes in a country of 220mn people is unacceptably low. Tinubu’s tally of 8.8mn gives him the weakest of mandates.

Obi and Abubakar must now decide whether to pursue their claims of rigging in the courts. If they do, Nigeria’s judiciary should take a long hard look. The courts in Kenya in 2017 and Malawi in 2020 overturned suspect elections. If Nigeria’s courts find suspicions, they should not shrink from annulling individual contests or even the whole result.

It is plausible courts could conclude that — despite some obvious irregularities — the overall result reflected the will of the people. In that case, or if there is no court challenge, Tinubu will be faced with one of the most difficult jobs in the world. Nigeria has been teetering on the edge of catastrophe, with a breakdown of security and an almost total absence of growth. Neither is sustainable. By 2050, Nigeria will have 400mn people. They cannot be left without hope.

The next president must quickly remove the ruinously expensive fuel subsidy and rationalise the exchange rate system. The army and police, both riddled with ineptitude and corruption, need urgent reform. These basic steps are the minimum to begin to repair a deeply damaged country.

Tinubu campaigned partly on his ability to pick a strong team. If he is confirmed as president, he must name a cabinet of independent, competent and honest ministers. Even Nigerians who did not vote for him will hope against hope for that.

https://www.ft.com/content/ad9bbed0-a2c4-4e20-96ae-c23cd42296fe

Buhari known for tattered reputation.

Tinubu known for election fixing or rigging .

The above is my deduction from the article.

They stole our mandate but we will recover it God's willing

Report to the nearest police station if you have seen this thief. 10million bounty on his head

Urchins go cry blood when we present our evidence.

Baba God I thank you

Financial Times even witnessed APC thugs on rampage around Surulere area of Lagos.

Maybe Financial Times is affiliated to Labour Party?

APC,una see una life; una go just dey disgrace Nigeria!

Flawed or not flawed. My joy is that that bastard betrayer of a lying candidate did not win despite the massive rigging that was done for him.

He only managed to see 3rd.

Surprisingly, the idiot and his cohorts are the ones complaining of rigging simply because they were out rigged.

Stupid, cursed, idiotic bastards.

Sai Tinubu
Sai Atiku

"Violence was troubling. Party goons invaded many polling stations in what appeared to be blatant acts of intimidation. The Financial Times witnessed armed men remove a presidential ballot box in Surulere, Lagos."

The above is from the Financial Times article. What a great evidence!

No sane and well reasoning person needs the Financial Times to educate him/her about the horrible electoral irregularities, abuse of human rights, rape of democracy, desecration of the rules of law that took place in Nigeria last Saturday is an insult and embarrassment to the sensibility of an average Nigeria anywhere in the world.

We need to investigate all these Agulu results massive rigging all over Igboland

FreeStuffsNG:
We need to investigate all these Agulu results massive rigging all over Igboland

You be m*m*.

Can you bring a contrasting polling unit evidence (a screenshot) that shows a different figure was recorded for your shitty party?

Where are the videos of people celebrating at the GRASSROOTS APC's win at the PUs?

Wah

Buhari is by far the worst thing that has ever happened to Nigeria!

Cc mynd_44 seun lalasticlala

Ru

The worst criminality is swapping of person result not just a sin but evil, for those support this evil until someone swag what u work for you will understand

The worst election in Nigeria political history

Rubbish
God bless President Bola Tinubu

Thanks to Ojuyobo the desperate election rigger

You see why Biafrans are right in calling Nigeria a zoo?

The country has taken a big step back from 2015 and 2011, even 2019 was much better than this

FreeStuffsNG:
We need to investigate all these Agulu results massive rigging all over Igboland

You guys are not getting it. It wasn't rigged but no one voted for APC. Even their party reps in the east voted for LP.

You call this election

Must Blood always flow in every election in Nigeria

Which god is demanding this blood sacrifice from Nigerians


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_EjdWM0594