I think Nigerians should at least try to be a bit objective about what the outcome of the elections are. There is a great certainty that most of us voted for Yar' adua because if the results were going to be manipulated it made sense to vote for he in who's favor it was going to be done. At least votes were not wasted, but the truth of the matter is, there seemed no other logical person to vote for when PDP already owned possession of almost 90% of the states of the country already. Apart from that with the state of Nigeria's affairs, Yar' adua seems a sensible candidate for the sake of continuity. Let's just keep praying that he would serve the country better than a lot of people expect him to.

VICTORY FOR DEMOCRACY

Whatever

its wat u voted for u got o guess u got served right !!!!!!

But one thing still amazes me!!!

you might want to know what?

and that is,

There has been no President that we've ever Prefered especially during their tenure!. We do not value what we have until we lose them.

Today everybody critisies Obasanjo, i won't be surprised if few years time, we start praying him back.

let's be optimistic

i don't think anyone on these trend expected a different result.

it has been said over and over again by the ruling party what the result would look like, so why the surprise.

na waoooooooo.

the case is thus : let us rig the election and let them go to court , simple.

not really surprised,party deceiving people.

ITS NOT JUST GOING TO COURT BUT WITH A JUDICIAL SYSTEM OF THIS PART OF D WORLD I GUESS U LL JUST END UP WASTIN UR TIME 2003 IS AN EYE OPENER

This is very easy.

All the ballot papers must be taken to National Stadium. All TV stattions would be invited.

Each tumb printed ballot paper would be scanned and auto-displayed on huge SCREEN

Where its double, tripple etc  Those papers would be void.

The remaining genuie votes would be used to determine the winner. SIMPLE

only one stadium? what about old ppl who cant travel far?

wont work

una make una leave matter,Fela don talk am b4,na paddy paddy govt we dey,dont be surprise dat the next president comes 2015 already knows himself,dat is naija 4 u,only God go judge,but sa i prefer the man 2 Buhari and Atiku,though i no boda to go vote as i already know the winner.

our lawyers have a lot of cases to handle now,because every body wan proof somthing.

This is great news in several regards.

For the first time in Nigeria's entire history, a man from the Niger Delta, Nigeria's cash register region, has been voted into power as vice president of the federation that has marginalized his people from the time oil was first discovered in the 1950's until this dramatic turning point today.

Perennial election LOSER,  Ayatollah Seriki Buhari, erstwhile brutal Maximum Leader of Nigeria during his soldiering days, and recent advocate of Islamic Sharia amputation law for Nigeria, has LOST AGAIN in yet another still-born bid to grab power as president of Nigeria through the ballot box, much to the ecstatic delight of all right thinking people.

Also for the first time in Nigeria's entire history, a elected civilian government has peacefully handed over power to another civilian administration through[i] largely [/i] free and fair national elections.  

Fellow Nairalanders are cordially invited to converge at Uncle Gbosa's Burukutu and Kai-kai bar in Oshodi Lagos, beside the railway lines under the bridge.  All who honor this invitation to celebrate Nigeria's new dawn will be served free bottles of Sapele Wata to celebrate this historic occasion.  Mention Jakumo's name at the venue to qualify for this special one-time only freebie.

*smiles*

@ Iyke-D

Good thinking !

My profound gratitude to those security agencies for their bravery,including the INEC officials.Why am i saying this is because we all know how country ,how violent things can become even without election.
Infact my fear was will Nigeria survive this period of election but thank God we survived a "darfur ,liberia and ivory coast" situation.

And to those who are saying Nigerian are cowards,i just cant agree with you,if you ask liberian or ivorian they would tell you they wish they had swallow their pride and let peace be in the land.why dont we compromise before there is war and not after war when everything has been destroyed.

God bless Nigeria

Funny that they could count about 34 million votes under 24 hours,when they could not do so for the states election such as Edo state,what is good about Goodluck,where the constitution makes his role more or less a special assistant.Abeg make una free me,I don tire for this country.

PDP as a party might not be the best but Yaradua seems to be the best cos he's a man of integrity & value, transparent & visionary. i just hope dat by the end of his term we will be able to say that he is the man

what is wrong with Nigerians?.This is why we are still wandering in poverty unless we change our thinking,things will continue to go worse.Imagine somebody saying we should congratulate INEC? of what basis if I may ask? that the results of 6 states are still pending?that saturday's poll was not conclusive in most states because of technical problems with party names,logo etc.? that the election was massively rigged in the favour of the ruling party?that election started lates in most states? that in the eight year of OBJ administration,Nigeria doesnt have the resources to print 60m ballot boxes,had to be rescued by SOUTH AFRICA? i dont believe this is what Nigerians deserve.Anyway sha,posterity is there to judge everybody.

IS a good thing he won the election, at least OBJ can have time to control his billions of dollars before ther next four years. I hope EFCC can now start a mass arrest of those dubious Governor and Vice President

Since Yara'dua is a graduate the only Nigeria president who is a graduate, I hope his thinking and actions will be totally different from any other former head of state in our country.

I know he won't make himself petroleum minister unlike OBJ.

This is rigging of the greatest degree.
So INEC wants every Nigerian to believe that 24million people voted for Yar’adua?
Is that what they are telling us?
I wonder when Nigerians would get rid of corruption. In my area, the voting centers were practically empty. Even the foreign expert that came to survey the pools said in interview with one of the the televisions stations that last saturdays turn-up was very poor, compared to that of the governorship elections.

How did they arrive at that figure?  

I dont jst get them.Well since he is learned who knows.I hope he has something up his sleeves when he is sworn in.It wld be so good to see him turn againt Obasanjo.I will however want for them to challenge d victory.But lets be thotful here out of Buhari,Atiku and Yar Adua who is more credible?

I did go for Buhari though/

Me too my dear brother.

Yar'adua is just an Instrument Obasanjo put in power so as to avoid probing by Nigerian critics am very sure about that.
What does that fellow have to offer us?

I dnt see him doing anything.Its jst unfortunate

What does he want to do?

Have you forgotten he’s just Obasanjo’s brain child.
He will do anything Obasanjo his God father tells him to do.
And we all know that Obasanjo is an Anti-people, which means things in the country would remain just the way he left or might even get worse. _{i don't pray for that to happen}

The winner was so obvious before the election because he was the most prefered.

Even if was rigged, it could have just been die-hard fans doing the rigging. And how can we be sure the losers did not attempt rigging too.

Nigeria just got better. Accept it.

@crazykid,

I wonder when Nigerians would get rid of corruption. In my area, the voting centers were practically
empty. Even the foreign expert that came to survey the pools said in interview with one of the the
televisions stations that last saturdays turn-up was very poor, compared to that of the governorship
elections.

That the voting centers in you area were empty doesn't mean they were all empty all over the
country, I am sure 10% of that 24million votes don't even reside in your area alone

Let's give Yar Adua a chance and hope that he turns out to be a far better leader than OBJ or
any of the other block heads that we have had so far.

Its encouraging that he has been proven to be a man of honesty and integrity - he and Jonathan
represents a new generation of leaders at the national level. We need some more honesty and
transparency in managing our affairs as a nation and Yar Adua might just be the guy to take us
to that level.

People are worrying too much about Obasanjo's hold on this man. Once Yar Adua is sworn in, the
only things he owes Obasanjo are favors, and as we all know, favors can be granted or denied.
If Obasanjo steps out of line, you can bet he will be reminded that there is a different commander
in chief - that's just the way power works. If Obasanjo can do the same to IBB, he too can be at the
receiving end.

If he does dt it wld be fine.

Dont suprised if Yar'adua himself orders EFCC to Arrest Obasanjo and his Fraudulent Crew on June 1st. You bet It!!, Umaru is just a Chameleon he would soon change his colour. No doubt he is a Good and truthful Man, he might be the one we need in Nigeria. Remember, Hausas na "Chop i Chop", The national cake would definitely get to you

Yar'adua was not who i felt should win, but hopefully God will use him to better nigeria.  
He is college educated, unlike all those other previous miltary official and also younger.
I LUV the fact that his vp is a rivers man  (his wife is from okrika) and he is also college educated and young. hopefully they can bring new blood and revatilization to our country.


as for the so-called hold OBJ has on him, make una fashi that one, instead of looking backwards let us look foward.

if you think he is OBJ's paupet then read about him below

Profile: Umaru Yar'Adua 

Yar'Adua: Taciturn, down-to-earth and not to be underestimated
Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, the former chemistry teacher, is set to be Nigeria's first university educated leader, after being elected as Nigeria's next president in controversial polls, but little is known about him - even in his home state.

The reclusive Muslim governor comes from the northern state of Katsina and is not a major political mover or shaker.

But at 56, he boasts a political pedigree that dates back to the 1960s when his father was appointed as a minister in the post-independence administration.

His late elder brother who was an army general served as President Olusegun Obasanjo's deputy when the president was Nigeria's military ruler during the 1970s.

They were both imprisoned together after they were accused of plotting a coup against late military strongman Gen Sani Abacha.

Backing

Mr Yar'Adua's emergence as the ruling People's Democratic Party's candidate in the presidential election in April 2007 rests almost exclusively on the support of President Obasanjo.

Nigerian presidency sources say Mr Obasanjo used a mixture of inducements and threats of investigation by the anti-graft agency to persuade 10 influential state governors to withdraw from the race and back Mr Yar'Adua.

Analysts say that by backing Mr Yar'Adua to succeed him, President Obasanjo is will hope to continue pulling strings after he steps down.

Shortly after he won his party's nomination, Mr Yar'Adua paid tribute to President Obasanjo whom he described as "the father of democracy and good governance in Nigeria".

He pledged to continue with Mr Obasanjo's economic reforms and fight against corruption.

Independence

But analysts say that Mr Obasanjo might have difficulty trying to control Mr Yar'Adua who is said to be quite independent-minded.

"He differed with his own brother on many occasions and criticised him on many issues and so I don't expect him to be easily controlled by Obasanjo," says the BBC's Mansur Liman in Abuja.

Although he is reputed to be prudent in managing funds in Katsina State where he had been governor for the past seven years, critics say contracts have gone to companies with links to his family's vast businesses.

He was among only a few Nigerian governors that publicly declared their assets before he was sworn-in as governor in 1999 and in 2003 - when he won a second term. He is also one of the few serving governors not being investigated for corruption.

As an undergraduate student in Nigeria's Ahmadu Bello University, Mr Yar'Adua was a self-confessed Marxist and criticised his elder brother's 'capitalist' leanings.

A man of few airs and graces, he is also known to have ignored the advice of aides and bodyguards to walk alone to tobacco kiosks to buy a single cigarette.

Described by his critics as taciturn and not known for his tolerance of opposition, Mr Yar'Adua has sometimes been underestimated.

As one commentator put it, "because he's quiet, people mistake him for a weakling. But he's someone who knows his own mind".

After his controversial election, he will need all these skills to lead one of the continent's most testing countries.

Even OBJ himself says only an unwise kingmaker will allow himself to be murdered by the king. Thus he understands his bounds when he leaves power.
I personally don't expect Yaradua to waiste too much time going after OBJ, Atiku or IBB. All I expect of him is genuine leadership that will see the transfornmation of the lives of ordinary Nigerians. This country is blessed and we can move on without the loots of Atiku and his likes.

People are not against Yar'Adua per se, but the process that threw him up and the people that helped him to power. Have you considered that he was offered the Presidency on a platter of gold and there's probably going to be a payback time to the people who engineered his ascendency to the Presidency. He must have cut some deals with them, either to feather their nest or to offer some protection against some shady deals.

There will definitely be different conflicting interests and as he fights for legitimacy and acceptance by Nigerians across regions and political divide, he will have it difficult achieving anything in his early days in office, since it takes a president at least 6 months before taking proper "reins" of power. And that's where legitimacy of the electoral process would have eased the way for him. Whether or not he would turn out better than OBJ or he will go the way of the other politicians before him, is only for us to postulate. I pray that he disappoints me in my pessimism. But his work is cut out for him and if he's wise, he should start secretly reaching out to the opposition now

@chidexy,

Stop wasting time with what transpired in the primaries - that was such a very long time ago

Granted, Yar Adua probably wasn't a better candidate than Duke or some others, but if really
it was true that power had to return to the North based on the "gentlemen agreement", then
he surely was the best that the North had to offer from PDP.

I am still hopeful that in due time Yar Adua will find himself and shock many Nigerians. I can
tell you want thing though - the looters are going to have a harder time getting away as life
couldn't be easier for Ribadu with a no non-sense boss and a man with lots of integrity. I am
sure the usual cries about selective prosecution will emanate, but overall, I think it will be good
for Nigeria.

I don't expect him to get bogged down trying to hunt or probe the current crop of leaders even
though I would have loved for both Ibori and Lucky to be sharing the same cell block. Atiku will
make enough noise only to try get himself off the hook (his settlement). But going forward will be
a totally different ball game - if you steal government funds, get ready. I am hopeful for Nigeria.