According to the final election results, this 70-year-old man won the presidency of Africa’s most populous country with 8.8 million votes.
Bola Tinubu, a political “godfather” known for his shrewdness and skill, has Win a tight race succeeds Muhammadu Buhari as the next president of Nigeria.
Tinubu has never hidden her ambition to become President of Nigeria when a 70-year-old man accomplishes his “lifetime” goal by elected president of Africa’s most populous country with 8.8 million votes, according to the final election results.
Despite persistent questions about his health and past allegations of corruption, the two-time governor of Lagos will succeed Buhari, a former army general he boasts helped bring to power.
His ruling Progressive All-People’s Congress (APC) faces allegations of electoral fraud in the polls, which take place on Saturday and Sunday, from two of its main rivals. But election officials and the APC have denied those claims.
Often referred to by his chieftain’s title of “Jagaban,” Tinubu spent years building his Lagos power base into a nationwide network of contacts from Lagos market cooperatives and transport federations to to political organisations.
But in a surprise result from the polls, rival Labor Party candidate Peter Obi won in Lagos State – Tinubu’s bastion of tradition.
“You win some, you lose some,” Tinubu said of the results, urging his supporters to stay calm.
A few days later, the tenacious leader, who is active? with the slogan “My turn”, was confirmed as the elected president.
Long time in power
A Muslim born in the Yoruba-speaking southwest of Nigeria, Tinubu trained to be an accountant in the United States and worked for a number of US companies, including as treasurer. at the oil giant ExxonMobil.
He was a political activist before becoming a senator and then governor of Lagos state, where he ruled from 1999 to 2007.
Tinubu’s supporters point to Lagos’ successes and claim that he can replicate them on a national scale. The city-state is generally the most viable economy in Nigeria. As an independent country, it would be among Africa’s top 10 economies by gross domestic product (GDP).
However, some critics argue that the pro-Tinubu narrative undoes the welfare politics of Lateef Jakande, the governor from 1979 to 1983 who laid the groundwork for today’s Lagos, which has grown from 4 million three decades ago to 21 million today.
Described by his allies as an astute political strategist, he co-founded and funded the Coalition for Democracy, which later became Nigeria’s Congress of Action, and later helped found the APC.
He is credited with bringing the APC factions together, bringing Buhari to victory in 2015 and ending 16 years of rule for his rival, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Buhari’s election, the opposition’s first victory in the country, as well as his 2019 re-election, were partly due to Tinubu’s political influence.
allegation of corruption
Controversies surrounding Tinubu have also arisen around his financial dealings during his time in power.
He is believed to be one of the richest politicians in Nigeria and after leaving office he was accused of corruption, money laundering and operating more than a dozen offshore bank accounts. He has never been charged and denies wrongdoing.
During the campaign, critics of the PDP labeled him “wobbly, weak, and drug-addicted”, alluding to health problems and a 1993 US court filing. cited a “narcotics-related seizure” from his US bank account.
The source of his wealth is unknown, but he has interests in a number of business ventures, from media and airlines to tax advice, hotels and real estate holdings.
One critic described him as “a greedy politician” who gobbled up the main sources of income from Lagos.
