Jonathan scores 22m votes to beat them all

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has won the presidential election, going by the official figures released last night.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate trounced his closest rival Gen. Muhammadu Buhari of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) convincingly in 25 states.

Besides, Jonathan secured 25 per cent of the total votes cast in about 28 states.

But the simple majority figures of the total votes cast will be announced this morning to determine whether the President has fulfilled all the requirements to win the presidential poll.

Section 134 of the 1999 Constitution states: "A candidate for an election to the Office of the President shall be deemed to have been duly elected where there being more than two candidates for the election (a) he has the highest number of votes cast at the election; and (b) he has not less than one-quarter of the votes cast at the election in each of at least two-thirds of all the states in the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory."

According to the results collated so far, the President has won the poll in 16 states in the South and seven in the North.

The states are: Abia, Imo, Oyo, Delta, Enugu, Ekiti, Ebonyi, FCT, Lagos, Anambra, Cross River, Edo, Ogun, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Gombe, Benue, Adamawa, Kogi, Kwara, Taraba, Plateau, FCT, Ondo, Kogi, Benue and the FCT.

Other states in the North where the President has secured either 25 per cent or more than a quarter of the total votes cast are Kaduna, Kebbi, Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina, and Borno.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) released collated results in 29 states and the Federal Capital Territory before it stopped. It will tally the results in the remaining seven states today and officially announce the winner.

But the results have been released at the states by the Returning Officers before heading for Abuja where they formalise their results before tallying with the others.

The collation of the results is being presided over by the Chief Returning Officer for the Presidential election, Prof. Attahiru Jega, the INEC chairman.

It is being witnessed by party agents, international and local observers and the media.

"By the time the collation is completed, the INEC chairman will make appropriate declaration on the status of the candidates," an INEC official said last night.

But as results were being collated in Abuja, riot broke out in Katsina following allegation that stuffed ballot boxes were brought into the Government House at midnight.

A reliable source said a large number of demonstrators stormed major streets in Katsina protesting alleged moves to rig the poll.

Apart from bonfires, angry youths were wielding clubs, forcing many residents to stay indoors.

Jonathan won outright in 22 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

He took 25 per cent and above in many of the 12 states won clearly by Buhari except in Kano and Katsina.

The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) candidate Mallam Nuhu Ribadu won in only one state – Osun.

Jonathan won in Nasarawa State where the CPC is considered stronger than the PDP.

He also won in the Southwest states, including Lagos, which is the stronghold of ACN. Jonathan won in Edo and Ekiti states, also held by the ACN.

Buhari, whose party lost badly to the PDP in the National Assembly polls in Jigawa, Borno and Gombe states, rebounded to reclaim the states in the presidential election.

The General also won in Yobe, where the ANPP cleared all the National Assembly seats a week earlier.

Kano, where the CPC failed to do well last week, gave Buhari his largest single haul of 1,624,543 votes.

Kano recorded the highest voter turn out. Its return for Buhari was beaten by the 1,817,762 recorded for Jonathan in Rivers State.

In Kaduna, home state of Vice President Namadi Sambo and Jonathan’s running mate, the CPC won, though marginally.

Both the CPC and the PDP had more than one million votes each, leaving the crumbs to the ANPP and the ACN to share.

Buhari won in 12 northern states – Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Bauchi, Sokoto, Yobe, Niger, Jigawa, Borno, Yobe, Kebbi and Zamfara.

He performed poorly in the South, failing to win 25 per cent in any of the 17 states.

But, Jonathan won 25 per cent in many states in the North where Buhari won. He took 25 per cent and above of the ballots in Niger, Jigawa, Kebbi and Zamfara, among others.

But the CPC said last night it might not accept the results being declared from the Southeast and the Southsouth where Jonathan is clearly dominating.

"Look at the incredible figures from the Southsouth and the Southeast in spite of the low turn out," Spokesman of the CPC presidential candidate Mr. Yinka Odumakin said.

He added: "We have not held any meeting but the result from those regions cannot stand. Look at Rivers?"

Source : thenationonlineng.net