Wrap - Nigeria's Buhari Leads Jonathan By 2.2 Million Votes

Nigeria's opposition candidate Muhammadu Buhari is leading the presidential race against incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan with more than 2.2 million votes in 19 states announced so far by the country's independent election commission.



Buhari, a former military ruler who is running on the ticket of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), has accumulated a total of 8,520,436 votes compared to 6,302,055 for Jonathan.



He won southwestern Oyo State with 528,620 votes against Jonathan's 303,376, according to official results released by the electoral body's national headquarters in Abuja.



The retired general won 299,889 votes in southwestern Ondo, while the incumbent president won 251,368.



In Osun, also in the southwest, which is the APC's stronghold, Buhari won 383,603 votes against 249,929 for Jonathan.



Buhari pummeled Jonathan in the southwestern Ogun State, meanwhile, where he clinched 308,290 votes against the incumbent president's 207,950.



He also won in north-central Kogi State, winning 264,851 votes against Jonathan's 149,987, going by official results.



Buhari won in Katsina, his home state, with 1,345,441 votes, while Jonathan clinched 98,937.



He pummeled Jonathan in Kano where he won 1,903,999 votes against only 215,779 for the incumbent president.



He also won Jigawa with 885,988 votes against 143,904 for Jonathan and Kwara with 302,146 votes against 132,602 for Jonathan.



The opposition candidate pummeled Jonathan in Kaduna with 1,127,760 voted against 484,085 for the incumbent president.



Jonathan, meanwhile, has so far been credited with big wins in the southeastern Enugu State, the north-central Nassarawa State, the southwestern Ekiti State and capital Abuja, according to the electoral commission.



In Enugu, he clinched 553,003 votes, trouncing Buhari, who got a paltry 14,157.



Jonathan also won 176,466 votes in Ekiti to beat Buhari, who picked up 120,331 votes, while in Nasarawa he clinched 273,460 votes against Buhari's 236,838.



In Abuja, the incumbent president got 157,195 votes to beat Buhari's 146,399.



Jonathan also won Anambra with 660,762 against 17,926 for Buhari and Abia with 368,303 votes against 13,394 for Buhari.



The incumbent president also won Enugu with 553,003 votes against 14,157 for the opposition candidate and Imo with 559,185 votes against 133,253 for Buhari.



Jonathan also won Akwa Ibom with 953,304 votes against 58,411 for Buhari and Plateau with 549,615 votes against 429,140 for the opposition candidate.



The election commission announced that more results would be announced Tuesday.



The winner of the presidential race must win more than 50 percent of all valid votes, plus a mandatory 25 percent in two-thirds of the country's 36 states.



If no candidate is able to win outright, the two frontrunners will compete for a simple majority in a runoff vote.



Aggrieved parties have 30 days from the election to legally challenge final poll results.



www.aa.com.tr/en - Lagos