Nigeria Decides: Will the New President Restore the Giant of Africa’s Glory?

Driven by a deep-seated hunger for change in Nigeria, on pins and needles citizens remain, eagerly awaiting the announcement of the country’s next president, which should happen any time from now, following the February 25th  general election. The slow collation and reporting of the votes by Nigeria’s electoral commission, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has only fueled the anxiety, coupled with whispers of electoral interference that the Commission has thwarted. The three front-runners out of the initial 18 candidates are Peter Obi, Bola Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar. Results from 176,846 polling stations are being counted manually and then relayed electronically to the INEC’s headquarters in Abuja, which then posts them on its website. As of February 28, Tinubu leads in 25 out of Nigeria's 36 states. Tinubu leads with 36% which translates to 7 million of the valid votes counted, Atiku is close behind with 30% an equivalent of 6 million valid votes. Obi has received 20% which equals 3.8 million valid votes. Upon verification of tallies from all states and the federal territory of Abuja, INEC chairman will proceed to announce the national results and declare a winner. A candidate needs to obtain the highest number of votes