BUHARI IN EARLY LEAD AS INEC DECLARES 21 STATES, FCT

Results from  21 states and the Federal Capital Territory
so far released by the Independent National Electoral
Commission on Monday showed the All Progressives
Congress Presidential candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu
Buhari coasting to victory.
As at the time the commission suspended announcement
of results late last night, Buhari had scored 10,101,497
votes from 21 states and the FCT, to President Jonathan,
who has so far polled 6,798,254 votes, to second place.
The results were declared by the returning officers from
the states.
Of the 21 states declared, Buhari won the polls in 13
states of Ogun, Kogi, Osun, Ondo, Oyo, Kwara, Kano,
Katsina, Kebbi, Gombe, Sokoto, Jigawa and Kaduna.
Jonathan won the polls in eight states namely Ekiti,
Enugu, Nasarawa, Anambra, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Imo and
Plateau. Jonathan also won the polls in the FCT.
Buhari had so far secured more than 25 per cent in 16
states while the president grabbed 25 per cent in 15 of the
states so far declared. The results from Adamawa,
Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi,
Edo, Lagos, Niger, Rivers, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara were
outstanding at press time and would likely be declared
today.
The results earlier submitted from Rivers State, however,
turned into a matter of investigation after the APC sent a
strongly worded petition rejecting the results. The results
returned had given Jonathan 1,487,075 votes,
representing 95 per cent of the votes.
President Jonathan has, however, protested results
declared from Kano, Jigawa, Kaduna, Gombe, Bauchi,
Katsina and Kogi States, alleging malpractices.
Jonathan's protest articulated by the Peoples Democratic
Party, PDP, was, however, followed by another statement
late last night in which it claimed it was not perturbed by
the results from the North-West, stronghold of Buhari.
Buhari's All Progressives Congress, APC, has also
protested the results submitted from Rivers State on the
basis that there was no election in the state.