Muhammadu Buhari has been re-elected president of Nigeria, results released by the elections body late into Tuesday showed.

After final verified results by the Independent Electoral Commission, INEC’s returning officers from across the country, Buhari polled over 15 million votes as against contender Atiku’s 11 million plus.

The difference in real figures was close to 4 million votes. The results were a close contest in the area of number of states won by the candidates. Nigeria has 36 states including the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.

Final figures:

Buhari, APC = 15,191,847

Atiku, PDP = 11,262,978

Difference: 3,928,869

According to electoral laws, the candidate with the most votes is declared winner as long as they have at least one-quarter of the vote in two-thirds of Nigeria’s 36 states and the capital.

A run-off would have been necessitated but records also indicated that Buhari had surmounted the said threshold. He will be sworn in as president for a final term lasting from 2019 through to 2023.

FINAL VERIFIED RESULTS: 36 STATES PLUS FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY



Buhari, APC = 15,191,847

Atiku, PDP = 11,262,978

Difference: 3,928,869



KEBBI

APC: 581,552

PDP: 154,282



ZAMFARA

APC: 438,682

PDP: 125,423



RIVERS

APC: 150,710

PDP: 473,971#NigeriaDecides2019 pic.twitter.com/taYJi5Hx7l — africanews (@africanews) February 26, 2019

Who won where?

Buhari won in 19 states including:

Osun

Ekiti

Kwara

Nasarawa

Kogi

Gombe

Yobe

Niger

Jigawa

Kaduna

Bauchi

Lagos

Ogun

Kano

Katsina

Borno

Zamfara

Kebbi

Sokoto

Atiku won 17 states plus the Federal Capital Territory (FCT):</s>Yemi Osinbajo has played an increasingly prominent role in Nigeria’s government since he was appointed President Muhammadu Buhari’s deputy in 2015.

Nowhere has that been more clearly demonstrated than at a recent question-and-answer session during Buhari’s successful campaign for a second term, when the lawyer and church pastor spoke more than his boss.

When the 76-year-old Buhari did speak, his critics accused him of being too old, ill or out of touch to grasp the issues at stake.

But he found a loyal ally in his vice-president. “He (Buhari) is not an orator,” Osinbajo stated afterwards. “My business is oratory. I’m a lawyer.

“The reason why you have a person like that is integrity.”

Buhari has publicly shown his appreciation for his colleague, calling him his “running mate-turned-partner in service… and friend”.

The pair are set to govern Nigeria for another four years after voters chose Buhari over his main challenger, former vice-president Atiku Abubakar in the February 23 election.

To some extent, Buhari and Osinbajo are a political odd couple.

In one campaign poster for the 2015 election, Buhari was dressed in a black dinner suit, white shirt and velvet bow tie and loomed uncomfortably over his diminutive running mate.

Osinbajo had likewise abandoned his traditional flowing robes but looked more relaxed in a smart, Western business suit.

For several months in 2017, it seemed as if the pair’s campaign slogan — “Change” — could well mean Osinbajo replacing Buhari as head of state.

Buhari spent months undergoing medical treatment at a London hospital, stoking concerns his undisclosed condition was terminal.

Osinbajo stepped up as acting president and was considered to have acquitted himself well.

It was a far cry from the start of his tenure when he performed largely ceremonial roles, including leading a choir of ex-presidents in a much-mocked YouTube song.

Beyond the obvious gulf in physical stature, there are striking differences between the pair.

Buhari, a Hausa-speaking Fulani from Muslim-majority northern Nigeria, is a straight-backed, no-nonsense former army general who headed a military government in the 1980s.

He has frequently appeared ill at ease with public speaking and has ruled with a close-knit, tight-lipped inner circle that ministers complained left them shut out.

Osinbajo, from Nigeria’s Yoruba heartland in the southwest, is a partner in a law firm, pentecostal church pastor, and respected university lecturer.

While Buhari has often been seen as dismissive of critics, with little time for dissent, Osinbajo, 61, has shown a more listening ear and consensual style.

Buhari has been seen little outside his official Aso Rock residence in the capital, Abuja, barring brief appearances at rallies during the campaign.

Osinbajo is a more visible presence and was regularly seen touring the country, meeting and talking to ordinary Nigerians.

London School of Economics graduate Osinbajo has been closely involved with trying to boost Nigeria’s economy after it plunged into recession in 2016.

In February 2017, he endorsed a move by the Central Bank of Nigeria to relax foreign exchange restrictions imposed because of a shortage of currency caused by the slump.

Elsewhere, he has spearheaded attempts to try to make Nigeria more attractive to visitors, and crucially overseas investors, by relaxing visa entry rules.

How far Osinbajo has been acting on his own initiative or implementing the wishes of Buhari and his inner circle is unclear.

During another Buhari absence in August 2018, he sacked the head of the intelligence service after security personnel staged a brief “takeover” of parliament.

Otherwise, he is largely a technocrat who cut his political teeth under former Lagos state governor Bola Tinubu, serving as his justice commissioner from 1999 to 2007.

Osinbajo was key in drafting the APC manifesto that was successful in wresting power away from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the first time in 16 years.

Now that Buhari has secured a second mandate, it is likely Osinbajo will play a bigger role, effectively becoming the public face and voice of the presidency.

Osinbajo’s youth relative to Buhari’s means he is free from the baggage of Nigeria’s troubled past.

He also has strong political stock — his wife, Oludolapo, and the mother of their three children, is a granddaughter of the independence movement leader Obafemi Awolowo.</s>Supporters of Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari celebrate at the campaign headquarters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) party in Abuja, Nigeria February 26, 2019. REUTERS/Nneka Chile</s>ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria’s president was declared the clear winner of a second term in Africa’s largest democracy early Wednesday, after a campaign in which he urged voters to give him another chance to tackle gaping corruption, widespread insecurity and an economy limping back from a rare recession.

While many frustrated Nigerians had said they wanted to give someone new a try, President Muhammadu Buhari , a former military dictator, profited from his upright reputation in an oil-rich nation weary of politicians enriching themselves instead of the people.

Speaking shortly after the announcement of the official results and as many Nigerians awakened to the morning prayer, Buhari told colleagues that he was “deeply humbled” by the win. He also said he regretted the loss of dozens of lives in election-related violence.

Supporters began dancing in the streets of the capital, Abuja, on Tuesday night as vote counting stretched his lead from the weekend election to nearly 4 million votes over top opposition challenger Atiku Abubakar, a billionaire former vice president who made sweeping campaign promises to “make Nigeria work again.”

Buhari received 15.1 million votes, or 55 percent, the electoral commission said in making its official declaration. Abubakar received 11.2 million, or 41 percent. The average national turnout was 35.6 percent, continuing a downward trend.

In a failed last-ditch effort to stop the official declaration, Abubakar’s party claimed that election data had been manipulated and demanded fresh elections in four of Nigeria’s 36 states.

Buhari’s party rejected the accusations. It also called on Abubakar, who hasn’t made a public appearance since Saturday’s election, to accept his loss gracefully and concede. “Let this nation move forward,” campaign spokesman Babatunde Fashola said.

“There’s no opposition that will roll over and play dead. Anybody that lost an election will always complain,” Hameed Ali, the ruling party agent attending the vote declaration, told reporters.

The election, once described as too close to call, suffered from a surprise weeklong postponement and significant delays in the opening of polling stations. While election observers called the process generally peaceful, at least 53 people were killed in an attack claimed by the Islamic State West Africa Province extremist group and other violence, analysis unit SBM Intelligence said.

It remained to be seen whether Abubakar will follow through on pledges to accept a loss, or challenge the results. A former U.S. ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell, said the troubled election had given the candidates grounds to go to the courts. That route could take months.

Many Nigerians have prayed for peace. They were surprised in 2015 when President Goodluck Jonathan took the unprecedented step of conceding to Buhari before official results were announced. It was the first defeat of an incumbent president by the opposition in the country’s history.

“Jonathan set the benchmark on how electoral outcomes should be handled,” Chris Kwaja, a senior adviser to the United States Institute of Peace, a U.S. government-backed institution promoting conflict resolution worldwide, told The Associated Press. “Accept defeat in the spirit of sportsmanship. This is a critical vehicle for democratic consolidation.”

Nigerians were praised for their patience and resilience in this bumpy vote.

Anna reported from Kano, Nigeria. Associated Press writer Sam Olukoya in Lagos, Nigeria, contributed to this report.

Follow AP’s full coverage of the Nigeria elections here: https://www.apnews.com/Nigeria</s>ABUJA, Nigeria — Nigeria’s president on Wednesday defended his sweeping win of a second term as free and fair and appealed to a “common love of country” as his top challenger vowed to go to court with allegations of fraud.

President Muhammadu Buhari was declared the clear winner by nearly 4 million votes as citizens of Africa’s largest democracy gave him another chance to tackle gaping corruption, widespread insecurity and an economy limping back from a rare recession.

While many frustrated Nigerians had said they wanted to give someone new a try, Buhari, a former military dictator, profited from his upright reputation in an oil-rich nation weary of politicians enriching themselves instead of the people.

Top opposition candidate Atiku Abubakar, a billionaire former vice president who made campaign promises to “make Nigeria work again,” quickly rejected the result of what he called a “sham election” and said next steps would be revealed shortly.

As many Nigerians awakened to the win along with the morning prayer, Buhari told colleagues he was “deeply humbled.” He regretted the loss of dozens of lives in “mindless” election-related violence.

“I will like to make a special appeal to my supporters not to gloat or humiliate the opposition,” he said. At a later event certifying his victory, he added to applause: “Election is not war and should never be seen as a do-or-die affair.”

Challenger Abubakar said he would have conceded “within seconds” if the vote had been free and fair. Instead he alleged “manifest and premeditated malpractices” in many of Nigeria’s 36 states.

He asserted that voting was suppressed in his strongholds in the oil-rich south and that states threatened by an extremist insurgency generated unusually high turnouts.

One domestic election observer, the Civic Media Lab, noted that “contrary to normal reasoning” the state most affected by extremist attacks, Borno, saw a 13 percent increase in turnout. Some residents said, however, they were determined to vote despite the threat.

YIAGA Africa, which deployed more than 3,900 observers, said its parallel vote-counting project found official results largely tracked with its own but called on the electoral commission to look into “inconsistent” turnout figures.

Court challenges are nothing new in Nigeria, where Buhari himself doggedly fought his past election losses for months, in vain. The Supreme Court of Nigeria has never overturned a presidential election, Chris Kwaja, a senior adviser to the United States Institute of Peace, told The Associated Press.

The president’s colleagues had expected a challenge. “There’s no opposition that will roll over and play dead,” Hameed Ali, the ruling party agent attending the vote declaration, told reporters.

Nigeria was peaceful after the winner was announced. Both Buhari and Abubakar are Muslims from the north, avoiding regional tensions in the vast country with a largely Christian south.

Buhari’s supporters danced in the streets and clung to speeding vehicles in a perilous display of exuberance.

“He is a man of integrity,” a Buhari supporter in the northern city of Kano, Mohammed Aliyu, said as jubilant people held up four fingers to mark the new term. “He is the only leader in Nigeria today that does not accumulate wealth.”

Buhari received 15.1 million votes, or 55 percent, the electoral commission said. Abubakar received 11.2 million, or 41 percent. The average national turnout was 35.6 percent, continuing a downward trend.

“The rigging was so obvious,” said one Abubakar supporter in Kano, John Orerere. “You cannot expect someone to be smiling after robbing him of his hard-earned result,” said Anthony Chigbo, a political activist in southeastern Anambra state.

But a civil rights activist, Musa Babn Iya, asserted that Nigerians were not interested in going to court but instead were thinking about “how to get out of this hardship” of simply getting by.

Buhari’s party rejected Abubakar’s allegations of manipulation of results and called on Abubakar to accept his loss gracefully. British Prime Minister Theresa May and the leaders of Kenya, Ghana, Senegal and Niger sent their congratulations to Buhari.

The election, once described as too close to call, suffered from a surprise weeklong postponement and significant delays in the opening of polling stations. While observers called the process generally peaceful, at least 53 people were killed in an attack claimed by the Islamic State West Africa Province extremist group and other violence, analysis unit SBM Intelligence said.

A former U.S. ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell, has said the troubled election gives the candidates grounds to go to the courts.

Many Nigerians have prayed for peace during the unexpectedly drawn-out election process. Some spoke approvingly of the 2015 vote, when President Goodluck Jonathan took the unprecedented step of conceding to Buhari before official results were announced. It was the first defeat of an incumbent president by the opposition in the country’s history.

Now Nigerians, who have been praised for their patience and resilience in this bumpy vote, are settling in for a legal fight.

Anna reported from Kano, Nigeria. Associated Press writers Ismail Alfa Abdulrahim in Maiduguri, Nigeria; Hilary Uguru in Ughelli, Nigeria; and Sam Olukoya in Lagos, Nigeria and video journalist Desmond Tiro in Kano contributed.</s>Cara Anna and Khaled Kazziha , The Associated Press 

 



ABUJA, Nigeria -- Nigeria's president was declared the clear winner of a second term in Africa's largest democracy early Wednesday, after a campaign in which he urged voters to give him another chance to tackle gaping corruption, widespread insecurity and an economy limping back from a rare recession.

While many frustrated Nigerians had said they wanted to give someone new a try, President Muhammadu Buhari , a former military dictator, profited from his upright reputation in an oil-rich nation weary of politicians enriching themselves instead of the people.

Top opposition candidate Atiku Abubakar, a billionaire former vice-president who made sweeping campaign promises to “make Nigeria work again,” quickly rejected the result of what he called a “sham election” and said he would challenge it in court.

Speaking shortly after the announcement of the official results and as many Nigerians awakened to the morning prayer, Buhari told colleagues that he was “deeply humbled” by the win. He also said he regretted the loss of dozens of lives in election-related violence.

“I will like to make a special appeal to my supporters not to gloat or humiliate the opposition. Victory is enough reward for your efforts,” Buhari said.

He pledged that in his second term, his administration “will intensify its efforts in security, restructuring the economy and fighting corruption. ... We will strive to strengthen our unity and inclusiveness so that no section or group will feel left behind or left out.”

In a statement shared by aides, Abubakar said he would have conceded “within seconds” if the vote had been free and fair, but instead he alleged “manifest and premeditated malpractices” in many of Nigeria's 36 states.

He asserted that voting was suppressed in his strongholds in the south and that states where an extremist insurgency continues generated “much higher voter turnouts” than in peaceful ones. He objected to the deployment of the military in some areas.

Court challenges are nothing new in Nigeria, where Buhari himself doggedly fought his past election losses for months, in vain. The president's colleagues had made clear they expected a challenge to this vote.

“There's no opposition that will roll over and play dead. Anybody that lost an election will always complain,” Hameed Ali, the ruling party agent attending the vote declaration, told reporters.

Buhari's supporters began dancing in the streets of the capital, Abuja, on Tuesday night as vote counting stretched his lead from the weekend election to nearly 4 million votes over Abubakar.

Buhari received 15.1 million votes, or 55 per cent, the electoral commission said in making its official declaration. Abubakar received 11.2 million, or 41 per cent. The average national turnout was 35.6 per cent, continuing a downward trend.

Buhari's party on Tuesday rejected Abubakar's earlier allegations of manipulation of the results. It called on Abubakar, who hasn't made a public appearance since Saturday's election, to accept his loss gracefully and concede. “Let this nation move forward,” campaign spokesman Babatunde Fashola said.

The election, once described as too close to call, suffered from a surprise weeklong postponement and significant delays in the opening of polling stations. While election observers called the process generally peaceful, at least 53 people were killed in an attack claimed by the Islamic State West Africa Province extremist group and other violence, analysis unit SBM Intelligence said.

A former U.S. ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell, has said the troubled election gives the candidates grounds to go to the courts.

Many Nigerians have prayed for peace during the unexpectedly drawn-out election process. Some spoke approvingly of the 2015 vote, when President Goodluck Jonathan took the unprecedented step of conceding to Buhari before official results were announced. It was the first defeat of an incumbent president by the opposition in the country's history.

Now Nigerians, who have been praised for their patience and resilience in this bumpy vote, are settling in for a court battle.

Anna reported from Kano, Nigeria. Associated Press writers Ismail Alfa Abdulrahim in Maiduguri, Nigeria and Sam Olukoya in Lagos, Nigeria, contributed to this report.</s>
• President Buhari defeats his main rival, Atiku Abubakar, former vice president and a billionaire businessman in the last Saturday's presidential elections.
• From May 29, 2019, President Buhari will spend another 4-year in office.
• We look at 5 pressing issues before the Nigerian leader as he journeys through another period in office as president.

President Muhammadu Buhari will continue in office for four more years having won the 2019 presidential elections.

The president defeated his main rival, Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president and a billionaire businessman. We look at the 5 pressing issues before the Nigerian leader as he journeys through another period in office as president.

In the northeast, President Muhammadu Buhari needs to step up the game on the deadly security issues and focus on more on how to use swift tactics to fight insurgents by building a strong military base in the region.

As Commander-in-Chief of the Army Forces, President Muhammadu Buhari also needs to take the battle to the frontline by ensuring all security equipment are supplied, delivered and channelled to the officers at the war-front.

After the Nigerian economy recovered from its worst recession in 2017, it has been growing at a slow pace and the country needs radical economic policies to fix loopholes.

The government also needs to turn its diversification policy from mere paperwork into a more actionable project. Put efforts and resources into revamping the agricultural sector, give adequate incentive to farmers and address the farmers-herders conflict nationwide.

With some of these in place, even with low crude oil prices, Nigeria will be able to absorb any external shock.

The World Bank projects a 2.5% economic growth for Nigeria while Moody's puts economic growth at 2.3% in 2019. Also, the African Development Bank (AfDB) projects Nigeria's growth at 2.3%.

In 2018, the country's economy grew by grew by 1.93% compared to 0.82% recorded in 2017, representing an increase of 1.09% points. In the fourth quarter, the economy expanded by 2.38%.

If he hasn’t already, the President needs to start headhunting for the next governor of the Central Bank. The current governor Godwin Emefiele's tenure will expire towards the end of the half-year in 2019 and an instant replacement will help steady the country’s foreign exchange rates. This will quickly give a new direction to the forex market and control speculations and sentiments in the highly volatile market.

Unlike in 2015 that it took President Muhammadu Buhari 6 months to appoint ministers and cabinet members, this time around, he will need to act faster and quickly assemble a team of experts, technocrats and experienced professionals who aren't just politicians to carry out rapid development across Nigeria.

President Buhari should know that some of his cabinet members have outstayed their welcome and should be replaced with younger, more dynamic minds that can effect change in various sectors of the economy.

During his first term, President Buhari faced criticism from home and abroad for his nepotistic appointments and disregard for the principle of federal character as outlined in the Nigerian constitution. This is one major issue the president needs to fix ahead of his term in office.

Buhari’s anti-corruption has so far been tagged a charade and a witch hunt. He has been accused of targeting opposition party politicians while ignoring those in his own camp. A quick example of this is his refusal to question the involvement of the Kano State governor, Abdullahi Ganduje in a dollar bribery scandal caught on tape.

For his anti-corruption fight to be successful, President Muhammadu Buhari needs to turn his attention to those within his party and prove to Nigerians that he is impartial.

5. Uphold of rule of law and nation's constitution

Few days to the 2019 elections, President Muhammadu Buhari suspended Justice Walter Onnoghen, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, an arm of the government in a move that questioned the basic tenet of separation of power.

Obedience of court orders and respect for fundamental human rights of individuals should be the government’s watchword. In his first year in office, the president was largely criticised for disobeying court orders, trampling on citizen’s rights and lack of respect for such. To have a smooth government in his next four years, the government should be an advocate of fundamental human rights in all aspects.</s>Nigeria’s president has been declared the clear winner of a second term in Africa’s largest democracy.

Nigeria’s president has been declared the clear winner of a second term in Africa’s largest democracy.

While many frustrated Nigerians had said they wanted to give someone new a try, President Muhammadu Buhari, a former military dictator, profited from his upright reputation.

Supporters began dancing in the streets of the capital, Abuja, on Tuesday night as vote counting stretched his lead from the weekend election to nearly four million votes over top opposition challenger Atiku Abubakar, a billionaire former vice president who made sweeping campaign promises to “make Nigeria work again”.

Mr Buhari received 15.1 million votes, the electoral commission said in making its official declaration before dawn Wednesday.

In a failed last-ditch effort to stop the official declaration, Mr Abubakar’s party claimed that election data had been manipulated and demanded fresh elections in four of Nigeria’s 36 states.

Mr Buhari’s party rejected the accusations. It also called on Mr Abubakar, who has not made a public appearance since Saturday’s election, to accept his loss gracefully and concede.

“Let this nation move forward,” campaign spokesman Babatunde Fashola said.

The election, once described as too close to call, suffered from a surprise week-long postponement and significant delays in the opening of polling stations.

While election observers called the process generally peaceful, at least 53 people were killed in an attack claimed by the Islamic State West Africa Province extremist group and other violence, analysis unit SBM Intelligence said.

It remained to be seen whether Mr Abubakar will follow through on pledges to accept a loss, or challenge the results.

A former US ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell, said the troubled election had given the candidates grounds to go to the courts. That route could take months.

Many Nigerians have prayed for peace. They were surprised in 2015 when President Goodluck Jonathan took the unprecedented step of conceding to Mr Buhari before official results were announced.

It was the first defeat of an incumbent president by the opposition in the country’s history.

“Jonathan set the benchmark on how electoral outcomes should be handled,” Chris Kwaja, a senior adviser to the United States Institute of Peace, a US government-backed institution promoting conflict resolution worldwide, told The Associated Press.

“Accept defeat in the spirit of sportsmanship. This is a critical vehicle for democratic consolidation.”</s>KANO, Nigeria — Nigeria’s president was poised to be declared the winner of a second term in Africa’s largest democracy after urging voters to give him another chance to tackle gaping corruption, widespread insecurity and an economy limping back from recession.

While many frustrated Nigerians had said they wanted to give someone new a try, President Muhammadu Buhari, a former military dictator, had the numbers for victory, his campaign said. The official declaration, set for 3 a.m. Wednesday, follows a troubled election in the oil-rich nation weary of politicians enriching themselves instead of the people.

The campaign laid out light refreshments — “nothing heavy, finger food” — and was prepared for the president’s acceptance speech, Babatunde Fashola, its director for election monitoring, told The Associated Press as supporters danced outside party headquarters in the capital, Abuja.

In a last-ditch effort to stop the official declaration, top opposition challenger Atiku Abubkar demanded a halt to the proceedings, claiming that data from smart card readers used in the vote had been manipulated. His party called for fresh elections in four states: Yobe, Zamfara, Nasarawa and Borno.

Buhari’s party has rejected accusations of manipulation, and Fashola called on Abubakar, a billionaire former vice president who made sweeping campaign promises to “make Nigeria work again,” to provide evidence backing his claims.

Abubakar, who hasn’t made a public appearance since Saturday’s election, should accept his loss gracefully and concede, Fashola added. “Let this nation move forward,” he said.

As the state-by-state announcements ended, Buhari led by more than 3.9 million votes in a race once described as too close to call. To secure the presidency, a candidate must win a majority of overall votes as well as at least 25 percent of the vote in two-thirds of the states.

The election suffered from a surprise weeklong postponement and significant delays in the opening of polling stations. While election observers called the process generally peaceful, at least 53 people were killed, analysis unit SBM Intelligence said.

The death toll rose Tuesday after an attack shortly before polls opened that was claimed by the Islamic State West Africa Province extremist group in the northeast proved deadlier than first reported, with at least 17 people killed, head of research Cheta Nwanze told the AP.

It remains to be seen whether Abubakar will follow through on pledges to accept a loss, or challenge the results. A former U.S. ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell, says the troubled election has given the candidates grounds to go to the courts. That route could take months.

In Kano, the heart of the country’s Muslim north, there was relief that the sensitive region appeared to have avoided the deadly violence that occurred in other areas.

“Well, we thank God that at least we finished this safely, without any hitches,” the state electoral commissioner, Riskuwa Shehu, told the AP minutes before carrying results to the capital.

Turnout appeared to be lower than expected, Shehu said, pointing to a number of factors, including the fear of possible violence after heated campaigning. The “disappointment” of a weeklong postponement likely also played a role, he said.

Many Nigerians have prayed for peace. They were surprised in 2015 when President Goodluck Jonathan conceded before official results were announced giving victory to Buhari, who pulled off the first defeat of an incumbent by the opposition in the country’s history.

Some worried that such a concession appears unlikely this time.

“Jonathan set the benchmark on how electoral outcomes should be handled,” Chris Kwaja, a senior adviser to the United States Institute of Peace, a U.S. government-backed institution promoting conflict resolution worldwide, told the AP. “So far, it is unclear what the candidates will do.”

It was not yet clear how many of Nigeria’s estimated 73 million eligible voters turned out. The YIAGA Africa project, which deployed more than 3,900 observers, estimated turnout at between 36 percent and 40 percent, down from 44 percent in 2015.

That would continue the trend of recent elections, even as many Nigerians were praised for their patience and resilience in this bumpy vote.

Kazziha reported from Abuja, Nigeria. Associated Press writer Sam Olukoya in Lagos, Nigeria contributed.

Follow AP’s full coverage of the Nigeria elections here: https://www.apnews.com/Nigeria

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>The Latest: Nigeria opposition challenger coy on next steps

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — The Latest on Nigeria's election results (all times local):

Nigerian opposition presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar says his next steps in challenging the results of Saturday's election "will be revealed to the public shortly."

Abubakar received 41 percent of the vote in what he rejects as "the implementation of grand theft of the people's will." He has said he will challenge the results in court.

He spoke to reporters Wednesday evening but took no questions.

Abubakar asserts that voting was suppressed in his party's strongholds in the oil-rich south and that turnout was unusually high in the extremist-threatened northeast, which backed the winner, President Muhammadu Buhari.

The opposition candidate calls this the worst election in three decades but calls for calm: "This is a long journey but I am confident of victory."

Nigeria has been peaceful since Buhari was declared the winner early Wednesday. Both he and Abubakar are Muslims from the north, avoiding regional tensions in the vast country split between a largely Muslim north and largely Christian south.

Nigeria's newly re-elected president is vowing to combat banditry and deadly violence in the north and central regions, saying that "mass murder of innocent people by criminals would be met with full force."

Spokesman Garba Shehu tweeted President Muhammadu Buhari's comments hours after he won a second term and pledged to tackle widespread insecurity.

Bandits plague Nigeria's northwest while farmers and herders engage in deadly clashes in the central region over increasingly scarce land. An official says 29 people were killed in central Kaduna state on Tuesday.

The spokesman cites the president as saying that "it is a matter of time before these murderous gangs of criminals meet their Waterloo."

Nigeria's president says it is "obvious that elections were free and fair" as his top opposition challenger vows to contest the results in court.

President Muhammadu Buhari spoke during an electoral commission ceremony confirming his victory, which he secured with 55 percent of the vote.

He congratulated all candidates and urged them to accept the democratic approach in Africa's most populous country, "however contentious."

"Election is not war and should never be seen as a do-or-die affair," the president added, to applause.

Challenger Atiku Abubakar is expected to speak to the media later Wednesday in the capital, Abuja. He asserts that results of Saturday's vote were manipulated.

Nigeria's top opposition candidate is rejecting the results of what he calls a "sham election" and says he will be challenging it in court.

The statement by Atiku Abubakar was shared by aides on Wednesday morning, a few hours after the electoral commission declared President Muhammadu Buhari the winner of Saturday's election by nearly 4 million votes.

Abubakar's statement says he could have conceded "within seconds" if the vote had been free and fair, but it alleges "manifest and premeditated malpractices" in many of Nigeria's 36 states.

The statement asserts that voting was suppressed in Abubakar's strongholds in the south and that states where an extremist insurgency continues generated "much higher voter turnouts" than in peaceful states. It also objects to the deployment of the military in some areas.

Abubakar's statement adds that "I have never seen our democracy so debased."

It does not say when a court challenge will be lodged.

Nigeria's president was declared the clear winner of a second term in Africa's largest democracy early Wednesday, after a campaign in which he urged voters to give him another chance to tackle gaping corruption, widespread insecurity and an economy limping back from a rare recession.

While many frustrated Nigerians had said they wanted to give someone new a try, President Muhammadu Buhari , a former military dictator, profited from his upright reputation in an oil-rich nation weary of politicians enriching themselves instead of the people.

Speaking shortly after the announcement of the official results and as many Nigerians awakened to the morning prayer, Buhari told colleagues that he was "deeply humbled" by the win. He also said he regretted the loss of dozens of lives in election-related violence.

"I will like to make a special appeal to my supporters not to gloat or humiliate the opposition. Victory is enough reward for your efforts," said Buhari.

He pledged that in his second term, his new administration "will intensify its efforts in security, restructuring the economy and fighting corruption. ... We will strive to strengthen our unity and inclusiveness so that no section or group will feel left behind or left out."

Supporters began dancing in the streets of the capital, Abuja, on Tuesday night as vote counting stretched his lead from the weekend election to nearly 4 million votes over top opposition challenger Atiku Abubakar, a billionaire former vice president who made sweeping campaign promises to "make Nigeria work again."

Buhari received 15.1 million votes, or 55 percent, the electoral commission said in making its official declaration. Abubakar received 11.2 million, or 41 percent. The average national turnout was 35.6 percent, continuing a downward trend.

In a failed last-ditch effort to stop the official declaration, Abubakar's party claimed that election data had been manipulated and demanded fresh elections in four of Nigeria's 36 states.

Buhari's party rejected the accusations. It also called on Abubakar, who hasn't made a public appearance since Saturday's election, to accept his loss gracefully and concede. "Let this nation move forward," campaign spokesman Babatunde Fashola said.

"There's no opposition that will roll over and play dead. Anybody that lost an election will always complain," Hameed Ali, the ruling party agent attending the vote declaration, told reporters.

The election, once described as too close to call, suffered from a surprise weeklong postponement and significant delays in the opening of polling stations. While election observers called the process generally peaceful, at least 53 people were killed in an attack claimed by the Islamic State West Africa Province extremist group and other violence, analysis unit SBM Intelligence said.

It remained to be seen whether Abubakar will follow through on pledges to accept a loss, or challenge the results. A former U.S. ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell, said the troubled election had given the candidates grounds to go to the courts. That route could take months.

Many Nigerians have prayed for peace. They were surprised in 2015 when President Goodluck Jonathan took the unprecedented step of conceding to Buhari before official results were announced. It was the first defeat of an incumbent president by the opposition in the country's history.

"Jonathan set the benchmark on how electoral outcomes should be handled," Chris Kwaja, a senior adviser to the United States Institute of Peace, a U.S. government-backed institution promoting conflict resolution worldwide, told The Associated Press. "Accept defeat in the spirit of sportsmanship. This is a critical vehicle for democratic consolidation."

Nigerians were praised for their patience and resilience in this bumpy vote.

Anna reported from Kano, Nigeria. Associated Press writer Sam Olukoya in Lagos, Nigeria, contributed to this report.

Follow AP's full coverage of the Nigeria elections here: https://www.apnews.com/Nigeria
Nigeria reelects President Muhammadu Buhari.