Buhari declared winner of Nigeria's 2015 Presidential election

Buhari declared winner of Nigeria's 2015 Presidential election

Main opposition candidate and former Nigeria military dictator with questionable human rights and nepotistic records Gen Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) has been declared winner of the 2015 Nigeria’s presidential election by Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Buhari was said to have won the election marred by massive underage voting in the north, deliberate disfranchisement of voters from the south and electoral violence that resulted in the death of not less than 20 people across the country by 2.57 million votes, according to official results announced on Wednesday.

The 72-year-old islamic fundamentalist from the All Progressives Congress (APC), won 15,424,921 votes or 53.95 percent of the 28,587,564 total valid votes cast. His nearest rival, and incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), won 12,853,162 (44.96 percent) at the election, which was held on Saturday and Sunday.

Declaring him winner INEC chairman Attahiru Jega said: “Muhammadu Buhari, of the APC, having satisfied the requirement for the law and scored the highest number of votes is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected.”

Buhari's campaign was buoyed by the freedom of speech and information provided by the government of Jonathan. It is left to be seen if such freedom of speech will be sustained under Buhari's regime as he tenaciously clamped down on journalists who dared report various corrupt practices during his stint as a military dictator of Nigeria some 30 years ago.