Bola Tinubu, a wealthy kleptocratic “godfather” of politics who campaigned on the slogan “It’s my turn”, has been declared winner of Nigeria’s disputed presidential election.

The result means Africa’s most populous country and largest economy has replaced Muhammadu Buhari, an ailing northern octogenarian Muslim with a reputation for financial propriety, with an ailing southern septuagenarian Muslim with a reputation for lavish spending and corruption.

Tinubu, the ruling party’s 70-year-old candidate, was declared the winner in the early hours of Wednesday with 36 per cent of the vote, ahead of Atiku Abubakar on 29 per cent and Peter Obi on 25 per cent. Their parties have dismissed the election as a sham and called for a rerun.

Obi, who defied the odds to lead some polls before the election thanks to his promise to root out corruption, landed impressive wins in Lagos and Abuja, the capital, but did not have sufficient appeal in poorer rural areas.

However, his arrival as a third-party candidate has left Tinubu facing Nigeria’s daunting list of crises with a mandate of fewer than nine million votes in a country that is home to more than 200 million. Tinubu also lost Lagos, a city which he has run as his personal fiefdom for more than two decades with the help of street thugs and kickbacks. In that time Tinubu has sunk huge sums into building a nationwide political structure capable of propelling him to a presidential election win.

Supporters packed into the All Progressives Congress campaign headquarters in Abuja, dancing to Afrobeat music to greet Tinubu, who arrived wearing a pale-blue traditional robe and red cap.

“This is a serious mandate,” Tinubu said as supporters cheered “Jagaban”, a nickname meaning “chief of warriors”. “I hereby accept it. To serve you. To work with you and make Nigeria great.

“I appeal to my fellow contestants to let us team together. It is the only nation we have. It is one country that we must build together.”

The Times