[center]THE WINNERS AND LOSERS OF NIGERIA'S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION[/center]

The 2023 presidential election took place on February 25th, 2023, and after 2 days of counting, the results have finally been announced with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) declared the winner with 8,794,726 votes. Former vice President Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party was able to garner a total of 6,984,520 votes, followed by Peter Obi of the Labour Party with 6,101,533 votes. As expected, the first and second runners-up rejected the elections even way before the collation was completed and the electoral body has urged them to approach the courts to seek redress. There have been minor reports of voter intimidation, suppression, and outright disenfranchisement in some parts of the country. And just like in every past election, all sides are pointing accusing fingers at each other. Let’s look at the winners and losers of this election.

WINNERS

Tinubu

Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as the flagbearer of the ruling party APC was seen by political experts as the frontrunner since he expressed interest in the top political job, and that never changed until the end. With reports of insecurity, widespread lack of electricity, and economic hardships people are facing in Nigeria today, it felt like it was a huge task for him. But Tinubu is widely regarded as one of the most astute politicians and as a kingmaker since he was instrumental in installing Buhari as president in 2019. He was seen by political experts as a frontrunner, and that never changed until the end. Tinubu was a subject of ridicule on social media with his gaffes trending on all platforms.
He may have lost the battle in his stronghold of Lagos state, but he ended up winning the war.

Buhari

I must commend President Muhammadu Buhari for the way he behaved during this election. There have been accusations from different quarters including from members of his party regarding plots to frustrate Tinubu’s chances. This was not helped by the ill-advised currency redesign that was carried out by the Central Bank of Nigeria. Buhari made it clear on several occasions not to interfere in the electoral process. Even when former president Olusegun Obasanjo called on him to halt the collation of the presidential election because his favored candidate Obi was losing, Buhari didn’t blink an eye. I think all politicians may have been hurt or benefited from President Buhari’s aloofness during his 8 years at the helm. That’s the most consistent thing about him. In addition to conducting this not-so-perfect election under his watch and signing the electoral act of 2022, I would like to congratulate him for its success. There was no massive involvement of law enforcement officers as was the norm in the past, especially under the administration of former president Obasanjo.


MIXED

Peter Obi

Peter Obi of the Labour Party may have lost the election, but he is a winner. There were low expectations, but the results proved that he is now a force to reckon with in national politics. In addition to galvanizing a new movement called the Obidients, he may have been able to influence the election of a few members to the National Assembly. It is still unclear what the control will be. Obi has confirmed what a lot of us have been saying. People of no region or tribe cannot demand the presidency be given to them like it's a dinner plate. They get into the ring and fight. Elections are about the strength of candidates and Obi has shown that, regardless of the party, a candidate can sell a party. I believe Obi has done a lot to show that he can compete with the big boys in the political game. This is because they don’t come bigger than Atiku and Tinubu on the Nigerian political scene. Obi got in and jabbed at the major players. He has earned my respect!

Obidients

Obidients are supporters of Labour Party candidate Peter Obi who coined the word from Obi’s last name. They have mobilized and organized from all walks of life. By using Twitter threads, tik tok videos, and memes, they have a large presence on social media. They gathered and encouraged a large number of new voters to vote for their party and it bore fruit nationwide. With the Labour party making inroads into PDP strongholds, especially in the southern parts of Nigeria. I applaud the movement and I hope they can continue to raise their voices in calling for better governance. In any event, it would be better if they were tolerant of other opinions. After all, that is what democracy is all about.

G5 Governors

G5 governors are all members of the People's Democratic Party of Nigeria (PDP) who refused to support their party’s presidential candidate. Even though they achieved their ultimate goal of truncating Atiku’s chances, some of them suffered losses in their quests to become senators or their anointed candidates were voted against. Seems to be a bittersweet experience for them.

LOSERS


Atiku

This is the third time he has participated in the general election as a presidential candidate. This is the third time he has lost the election. Only Atiku himself will decide if he is coming back or not. It is his inability to form a coalition with LP and NNPP and his inability to unite some sections of his People’s Democratic Party like the G5 governors. Only God knows what his next plan will be.


INEC

Another election year means a new set of INEC problems. We all know there is no flawless election in any part of the world. But despite a humongous budget, upgraded electoral materials, and BVAS, INEC still struggled with logistics. There were reports of late arrivals of election materials and officers in most parts of the country. As a matter of fact, most problems of this election can be attributed to INEC rather than any political malfeasance by the political parties involved.

Fake news

Fake news has always been a staple in the Nigerian polity, but it reached a crescendo on the day of the election. I have never seen anything like that before. There were a lot of people spreading falsehoods on social media, whether they were intending or not. Those falsehoods are passed along both wittingly and unwittingly, as long as they suit their preferences. They post videos with no clear evidence and just add a caption to cause outrage. I hope the government can do something about it because it seems to be getting out of hand.


By Lanre Etti

Follow me on Twitter @LanreSoundhouse

Let’s call a spade, a spade!

If Asiwaju is a winner, Peter is the loser!

Stop decorating what’s not!

U can't force urself on us. Nigeria we make an history

CoronaVirusRelo:
Let’s call a spade, a spade!

If Asiwaju is a winner, Peter is the loser!

Stop decorating what’s not!

Peter Obi did well for himself tbh

Atiku is the biggest loser.

He can't run for presidency again

You are sighted, You're on point, God bless President Elect 🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨

You mean my own Jagaban is now declared the winner of this 2023 election

Stop saying that. I have always said that tinubu will make a good president too even though I supported obi but sincerely obi deserves a lot of respect for what he has been able to do. It should show tinubu too that people are frustrated with the status quo and he has a lot of work to do. So obi is still a winner unlike atiku.

CoronaVirusRelo:
Let’s call a spade, a spade!

If Asiwaju is a winner, Peter is the loser!

Stop decorating what’s not!

Obedients are the losers, Tinubu they hated so much is their president

Chekwume16:
Stop saying that. I have always said that tinubu will make a good president too even though I supported obi but sincerely obi deserves a lot of respect for what he has been able to do. It should show tinubu too that people are frustrated with the status quo and he has a lot of work to do. So obi is still a winner unlike atiku.

Stop the shenanigans... it's unnecessary.

Obi came 3rd position. How does that make him a winner?

My problem with Obidients is they keep calling a spade, a shovel. Be real for once... Obi lost!

I support Tinubu but I disagree with you totally n completely. I know Peter Obi is a hype but I pray the few seat labour won they will be able to use n transform Nigeria landscape.

I can agree Obi Obi is not worthy of the hype but he can just use it to set new standards for Nigeria politician n development. Hopefully he is able to win governorship seat so that Labour performance can not be judged based on that n not based on his own pathetic performance as Anambra governor years back.

Atiku n PDP plus INEC are the losers.
PDP never envisage the tsunami Obi was coming with n allowed his propaganda to fester in under the watch. That tsunami sweep away Ortom Abia Enugu

CoronaVirusRelo:
Let’s call a spade, a spade!

If Asiwaju is a winner, Peter is the loser!

Stop decorating what’s not!

How can you day obi lost when his party is better than it was before the election. I am not an obidient. I only prefer obi but still like tinubu.

ruzell86:

Stop the shenanigans... it's unnecessary.

Obi came 3rd position. How does that make him a winner?

My problem with Obidients is they keep calling a spade, a shovel. Be real for once... Obi lost!

Obi and Atiku biggest losers

Jagaban!!!!!

Congratulations sir.

We meet in court. It's not over yet.

CoronaVirusRelo:
Let’s call a spade, a spade!

If Asiwaju is a winner, Peter is the loser!

Stop decorating what’s not!

Peter Obi is always a loser, the OP is only trying to sugar-coat it.

Trollronaldo:
We meet in court. It's not over yet.

I love that, meet us there rather than be the court yourself.

Nice

Jesuschristus:
Obedients are the losers, Tinubu they hated so much is their president

We don't hate Tinubu, we just love Nigeria ✌️

Let's face it, what Obi pulled was monumental. 6m+ votes despite from a 'structure-less' Labour is no easy feat.

The biggest congratulations to me goes to the millions of Nigerians that made it to the polling booth to vote in spite of the many hurdles

OBI IS A LOSER.
STOP WRITING RUBBISH.
BIG LOSER

CORNgratulations to Tinubu

Tinubu pigs celebrating theft

ruzell86:

Stop the shenanigans... it's unnecessary.

Obi came 3rd position. How does that make him a winner?

My problem with Obidients is they keep calling a spade, a shovel. Be real for once... Obi lost!

Where's the distant third you predicted? Abegiiiii.

Obi and obidients are winners. We didn't get the ultimate goal but by a large extent,we got something.

It's obvious it's not online banter or keyboard warriors. We're humans and can influence elections.

Good morning everyone and may Nigeria thrive for everyone

Spot on