The opposition leader Muhammadu Buhari earned a massive victory in the key northern state of Kano, beating his rival, President Goodluck Jonathan, by nearly 1.7 million votes, official presidential election results released Monday said.
Buhari’s victory in Kano in the polls held Saturday and Sunday had been expected, with the margin of victory seen as crucial to his chances nationally.
A roadside restaurant features on March 12, 2015 a poster of main opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate Mohammadu Buhari in Lagos. Buhari, the 72-year-old candidate of the APC is in neck-and-neck with President Goodluck Jonathan in the closely fought election campaign, which initially was expected to be held on February 14, but rescheduled for March 28 due to security concern. AFP PHOTO
The 72-year-old former army general is from neighbouring Katsina state and like most in Kano is a Muslim from the Hausa-Fulani ethnic group.
Buhari won 1,903,999 votes in Kano, which is Nigeria‘s second most populous state after Lagos, the southern economic capital.
Jonathan, who hopes to contain his losses in the north, won 215,799 votes.
Buhari beat Jonathan in Kano by roughly a million votes in 2011.
Kano is among the Nigerian states hit hardest by Boko Haram Islamists, where many have criticised Jonathan’s handling of the insurgency.
Aside from tribal and religiously allegiances, Buhari’s effort to play up is national security credentials may have helped boost his margin of victory among Kano’s frequently-attacked population.
The president and his Peoples Democratic Party are expected to run-up huge majorities in the southeast, perhaps offsetting Buhari’s wins in the north.
Results were expected to trickle in overnight on Monday after a closely fought campaign.
Kano LGAs: 44 NO of POLITICAL PARTIES: 14 VALID VOTES: 2,128,821 VOTES CAST: 2,172,447 REJECTED VOTES: 43,626
AA:426 AD:708 ACPN:778 ADC:657 APA:2770 APC:1,903,999 CPP:1,552 HOPE:292 KOWA:288 NCP:697 PDP:215,779 PPN:485 UDP:234 UPP:156
REG. VOTERS: 4,943,862 ACCR VOTERS: 2,364,434
Jigawa LGAs: 37 NO of POLITICAL PARTIES: 14 REG. VOTERS: 1,815,839 ACCR VOTERS: 1,153,428
AA:394 AD:587 ACPN:540 ADC:375 APA:2527 APC:885,988 CPP:1,553 HOPE:337 KOWA:423 NCP:548 PDP:142,904 PPN:853 UDP:338 UPP:197
VALID VOTES: 1,037,564 VOTES CAST: 1,071,889 REJECTED VOTES: 34,325
Katsina LGAs: 34 NO of POLITICAL PARTIES: 14 REG. VOTERS: 2,842,741 ACCR VOTERS: 1,578,646
AA:183 AD:283 ACPN:402 ADC:498 APA:1671 APC:1,345,441 CPP:976 HOPE:47 KOWA:215 NCP:330 PDP:98,937 PPN:254 UDP:117 UPP:72
Katsina VALID VOTES:1,449,426 VOTES CAST:1,481,714 REJECTED VOTES:32,288
Kwara LGAs: 16 NO of POLITICAL PARTIES: 14 REG. VOTERS: 1,181,032 ACCR VOTERS: 489,360
AA:248 AD:520 ACPN:817 ADC:438 APA:1165 APC:302,146 CPP:910 HOPE:118 KOWA:214 NCP:394 PDP:132,602 PPN:325 UDP:81 UPP:102
Kwara VALID VOTES: 440,080 VOTES CAST: 461,401 REJECTED VOTES: 21,321
Kaduna LGAs: 23 NO of POLITICAL PARTIES: 14 REG. VOTERS: 3,361,793 ACCR VOTERS: 1,746,031
AA:218 AD:273 ACPN:424 ADC:546 APA:1611 APC:1,127,760 CPP:824 HOPE:105 KOWA:176 NCP:754 PDP:484,085 PPN:549 UDP:79 UPP:78
Kaduna VALID VOTES: 1,617,482 VOTES CAST: 1,650,201 REJECTED VOTES: 32,719
Anambra LGAs: 21 NO of POLITICAL PARTIES: 14 REG. VOTERS: 1,963,427 ACCR VOTERS: 774,430
AA:547 AD:475 ACPN:1259 ADC:534 APA:2303 APC:17,926 CPP:1279 HOPE:357 KOWA:311 NCP:887 PDP:660,762 PPN:537 UDP:286 UPP:1121
Anambra VALID VOTES: 688,584 VOTES CAST:703,409 REJECTED VOTES:14,82
Abia LGAs: 17 NO of POLITICAL PARTIES:14 REG. VOTERS:1,349,134 ACCR VOTERS:442,538
AA:315 AD:448 ACPN:2194 ADC:569 APA:2766 APC:13,394 CPP:1046 HOPE:125 KOWA:173 NCP:745 PDP:368,303 PPN:424 UDP:213 UPP:330
Abia VALID VOTES:391,045 VOTES CAST:401,049 REJECTED VOTES:10,004
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