Results continue to trickle in in Nigeria’s tightest election since the West African country returned to democracy in 1999, although a winner in the race to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari is not expected within days.

Nearly 90 million people were eligible to vote in Africa’s largest democracy, with many Nigerians hoping a new leader will better deal with uncertainty, economic malaise and growing poverty.

Elections were held across the country on February 25. After some problems, voting in a few parts of the country had to be extended until Sunday. The counting has started since the polls closed.

Below are preliminary results from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of Nigeria:

How do the elections work?

To win the presidency, a candidate must receive the most votes and at least 25 percent of the votes cast in two-thirds of Nigeria’s 36 states. If no candidate meets these criteria, a run-off will be held within 21 days, in which only the top two candidates will be allowed to participate.

When will we know the results?

The results of the elections are usually announced within three to five days after the election.

Who are the main candidates?

Atiku Abubakar

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) remains Nigeria’s main opposition party, and Abubakar, a veteran on his sixth run for president, hopes to win the presidency and overthrow the PDP, which held office from 1999 to 2015. to get. back in power.

He has focused his campaign on uniting the divided country and reviving Nigeria’s economy, which has been through two recessions in four years.

In Nigeria, which is almost evenly split between Christians and Muslims, there is a gentlemanly agreement between the major parties to share power between North and South, and between Christians and Muslims. The outgoing Buhari is a northern Muslim.

Abubakar, like Buhari, is a northern Muslim – and ethnic Fulani – from the northeast. He has chosen Ifeanyi Okowa, the outgoing governor of Delta State in the South and Christian, as his running mate.

Bola Tinubu

Tinubu and Atiku, former political and business partners, were founding members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), but faced off on different sides on Saturday, hoping to draw one over the other.

The first, a two-year governor of Nigeria’s economic capital Lagos, is credited with boosting state revenues, and supporters say he will replicate his success on the national scene.

He has sparked controversy by doing what was considered unthinkable for more than three decades, choosing Kashim Shettima, ex-governor of Borno, as his running mate. Tinubu and Shettima are both Muslims, from the southwest and northeast respectively.

Ahead of Saturday’s vote, they argued that competence trumps religion.

Peter Obie

The former governor of the southeastern state of Anambra, whose rise and strong showing has so far effectively disrupted the traditional two-horse race, is also projected as a surprise winner of the vote.

Multiple polls have predicted victory for the Labor Party and Obi, which has a large following among Nigerian youth disillusioned with governance in Africa’s largest economy. He was on the PDP ticket in 2019 along with Abubakar.

Obi, a wealthy capitalist known for his austerity and overseeing an infrastructure project during his time as governor, teams up with Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, a former senator from the northwestern state of Kaduna.

Rabiu Kwankwaso

Kwankwaso of the New Nigerian People’s Party (NNPP) is seen as a wild card in the race and has enough experience to match the other frontrunners. A former two-time governor of Kano and defense minister, he has served in the two chambers of parliament.

He is immensely popular among the youth in his home region due to his prosperous politics. A major achievement was a substantial scholarship program that benefited thousands of students from low-income households in Kano, formerly known for its large numbers of almajirai, extracurricular beggars.

Kwankwaso walks next to Isaac Idahosa, a Pentecostal denomination bishop who hails from the southern state of Edo.

Ideology barometer

In parts of Africa, personality-driven politics and patronage culture still dominate, so ideology politics is not as entrenched on the continent as it is under military regimes.

Political actors often cross partisan divides and change their stance on national issues depending on their career stage and other variables in an election cycle.

Below is an approximate representation of their ideological status – economic and cultural.