Nigerian opposition parties cried foul late Thursday as the country’s electoral commission failed to publish official results for runoff governorship elections in the southwestern Osun state. The vote is the final major test before Nigerians elect a new president, parliament, governors, and state legislatures in February and March next year. Forty-eight candidates from different political parties contested the election last Saturday. But the leading candidates were Gboyega Oyetola from President Muhammadu Buhari’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and Ademola Adeleke of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
An unofficial tally had shown the PDP’s flagbearer leading his APC counterpart by some 350 votes, while there were more than 1,000 voided votes.
Under the country’s electoral law, no winner can emerge if the margin of victory is less than the cancelled votes.
A runoff was declared Sunday after the head of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Osun said the election was inconclusive because “the number of cancelled votes is higher than the margin between the two top candidates.”
The fresh round of voting took place amid high tension on Thursday.
Full Article: Flash – Opposition cries foul in Nigeria governorship runoff vote – France 24.
