The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has won the ruling party’s Presidential Primaries, POLITICS NIGERIA reports.
Tinubu defeated the likes of Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo; Rotimi Amaechi, former Minister of Transportation; and Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello.
The former Lagos State governor gained ground after fellow contestants, Governors Kayode Fayemi, Abubakar Badaru, and ex-Governor Ibikunle Amosun, among others stepped down for him on Tuesday night.
Meanwhile, Amaechi, who is projected to come second, alleged rigging of the election process.
2,322 delegates from 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) voted at the APC presidential primaries.
See the results below:
1. Bola Ahmed Tinubu Scored 1271 Votes
2. Rotimi Amaechi. Scored 316 Votes
3. Yemi Osinbajo. Scored 235 Votes
4. Sen. Ahmed Lawan Scored. 152 Votes
5. Yahaya Bello. Scored. 47 Votes
6. David Umahi Scored 38 Votes
7. Sen. Ben Ayede. Scored 37 Votes
8. Sen. Ahmed Rufai Sani. Scored 4 Votes
9. Hon. Chukwuemeka. Scored 1 vote.
10. Ogbonnaya Onu Scored 1 vote
11. Jack Rich. Scored. 0 Vote
12. Pastor Bakare. Scored 0 vote
13. Sen. Rochas Okorocha. Scored. 0 Vote
14. Chief Mukelu. Scored. 0 Vote
Void — 13
The man, Tinubu
Tinubu made his debut in politics as an activist in the pro-democracy agitations of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) in the early 1990s.
The 70-year-old was instrumental to the formation of the APC in 2013, and the emergence of Muhammadu Buhari as president in 2015.
His main challengers in the 2023 polls have been identified as Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP).
“This is to certify that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, having scored the highest number of votes cast, is hereby declared the winner,” said Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State who returned Tinubu as the elected candidate.
“In line with the provisions of the constitution of our great party and by the power conferred on me as the Returning Officer of this special convention, I, Atiku Bagudu, do hereby declare Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the presidential candidate of our party in the 2023 presidential election.”