Nigeria’s ruling party candidate has been declared the winner of the country’s presidential election.
Bola Tinubu’s victory in Africa’s most populous nation has already led to calls from rivals who are demanding a revote.
It could lead to court challenges by the second and third-placed in the race, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, the former of whom unsuccessfully appealed the results in 2019.
Mr Tinubu's ruling All Progressives Congress party urged the opposition to accept defeat Tuesday.
He received 37 per cent of the vote, or nearly 8.8 million, while main opposition candidate Mr Abubakar won 29 per cent with almost 7 million.
Mr Obi took 25 per cent with about 6.1 million, according to the results announced on live television by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
The president-elect thanked his supporters in the capital after his victory was announced and struck a conciliatory tone towards rivals.
“I take this opportunity to appeal to my fellow contestants to let us team up together," Mr Tinubu said. “It is the only nation we have. It is one country and we must build together."
Nigerian electoral law says a candidate can win by getting more votes than their rivals, provided they get 25 per cent of the vote in at least two-thirds of the 36 states and the federal capital Abuja, which he did.
The election had encountered problems because new technology which was due to upload results from each polling station to a public website in real time did not function properly, prompting distrust among some.
The 70-year-old is the former governor of Lagos state, home to Nigeria's megacity of the same name and ran on his track record as governor.
However, he lost the state in Saturday's election to Mr Obi, who drew a strong following among younger voters eager for change.
He now faces a long list of national problems including Islamist insurgencies in the northeast, armed attacks, and deeply entrenched corruption.
