Finally, the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, General Muhammadu Buhari, has officially been declared winner of the March 28 presidential election held last Saturday throughout Nigeria.
It was the fourth time Buhari would contest to govern Nigeria. He had failed three times, but his efforts are being crowned at the fourth attempt, 30 years after he was toppled in a military coup in August 1985. He polled 15,424,921 votes against incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan, of the Peoples democratic Party to clinch the presidential seat.
Jonathan scored 12,853,162 votes.
His victory is historic! It is the first time that an opposition candidate would wrest power from an incumbent.
The President, a Head of State between 1984 and August 1985, won the contest in 21 states of the federation, leaving Jonathan with victories in 15 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Buhari won the election in 16 northern states and five south western states while Jonathan won the poll in three northern states, the FCT and 12 South-South and South-East states.
The highest number of votes was recorded in Kano, where Buhari scored 1,903,999 votes while Jonathan recorded his biggest victory in a controversial election in Rivers, garnering 1,487,075 votes in the state, where a large scale protest had attempted to stop the huge vote.
Nigeria’s president was born in Daura, Katsina state on 17 December, 1942.
After graduation at Government College in Katsina in 1961, Buhari joined the army and rose to become a Major-General. He served as Governor of the North East state, petroleum minister and became Nigeria’s military leader after the 31 December coup that toppled the civilian administration of Shehu Shagari.
In August 1985, Buhari was toppled in another coup led by General Ibrahim Babangida.
In retirement, he served as chairman of the Petroleum Trust Fund under the Abacha regime.
When Nigeria returned to civil rule in 1999, General Buhari offered himself for service thrice before now, but he was rejected at the polls.
The man with a reputation for anti-corruption and discpline and a near ascetic life has finally got his mission fulfilled.
Congrats to him!
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ajanni
PoliticxGuru
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