Why John Mahama Met With Tinubu Hours Before He Was Declared Nigeria's President-Elect

Former President John Dramani Mahama, was part of a delegation that met with Nigeria’s president-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu, hours before the septuagenarian was formally declared winner of Nigeria’s February 25 Presidential elections.

Mahama, is in Nigeria as a lead member of former African Heads of State (West African Elders Forum), who are observing the elections in Africa’s most populous country. Mahama visited Tinubu as well as the other two top aspirants, in the persons of Peter Obi; of the Labour Party and Atiku Abubakar; of the main opposition
People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

John Dramani Mahama, was captured in one of the photos shared by former Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan, sitting on the same sofa with Tinubu, at his Abuja residence. The team of former African leaders, included Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone, Kenya’s; Uhuru Kenyatta, Benin’s; Thomas Yayi Boni and former Gambian Vice President, Fatoumatou Jallow Tambajang.

Tinubu Declared President-Elect Of Nigeria

Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Presidential candidate of Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has been declared the winner of the 2023 Presidential election. Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), announced the results in the early hours of Wednesday, March 1.

After reading out the total number of valid votes secured by each of the 18 candidates in the race, the INEC chair declared: “I now perform my responsibility as chief returning officer of the federation,” the INEC chair said.



Bola Ahmed Tinubu

“I, professor Mahmood Yakubu, hereby certify that I am the returning officer for the 2023 general election. The election was contested.

“That Tinubu Bola Ahmed of the APC, having certified the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and is returned.”

Mahmood Yakubu

Over at the Abuja residence of Tinubu, he was surrounded by allies, family and his vice Presidential candidate Kashim Shettima, in a packed room following the proceedings. In a video widely shared by the APC, Tinubu is seen with a clenched fist, punching the air, moments before Mahmood declared him winner.

He simultaneously stood on his feet, alongside everyone in the room as they jubilate for winning the February 25 polls.

Tinubu was in the race along with the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP), Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, of the Labour Party (LP). In terms of the hard figures, APC polled 8,794,726 valid votes as against the PDP’s 6,984,520 and LP’s 6,101,533. The New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) got 1,496,687 valid votes whiles the fourteen other aspirants together got the remaining 666,298. Beating them in at least 25% in 24 states threshold.

Nigeria’s peculiar means of determining President, means that the winner must get at least 25% of votes in two thirds of the 36 states, plus the Federal Capital
Territory of Abuja.

Tinubu had at least 25% of votes in 29 states, Atiku had 25% of votes in 21 states, Obi had 25% of votes in 16 states, whiles Rabiu Kwankwaso of NNPP, passed the threshold in only one state. Tinubu, is expected to be handed his certificate later today at the Abuja International Conference Center, where INEC had used as the collation center for the Presidential elections.