After defeating two of his closest challengers, Bola Tinubu, the candidate for Nigeria’s ruling party, was named the winner of the weekend’s presidential election on Wednesday.

Former Lagos governor Akinwunmi Ambode received 8.79 million votes, beating out top opposition rival Atiku Abubakar’s 6.98 million votes. Younger people preferred the outsider Peter Obi, who received 6.1 million votes.

“I commend @inecnigeria for running a credible election, no matter what anybody says,” Bola Tinubu says in acceptance speech. 

“The lapses that were reported were relatively few in number and were immaterial to affect the outcome of this election.”

According to Nigerian electoral law, a candidate can win simply by receiving more votes than their rivals, provided they receive 25% of the vote in at least two-thirds of the 36 states plus Abuja, the federal capital, which Tinubu also accomplished.

On January 31, 2023, in Lagos, Nigeria, a man strolls past election campaign signs in preparation for the presidential elections in Nigeria.