Today In History: How Goodluck Jonathan Defeated Buhari To Win 2011 Presidential Election

On this day in history, April 16, Osun Defender travels back to Saturday, April 16, 2011 when Presidential elections were held in Nigeria.

The election followed controversy as to whether a northerner or southerner should be allowed to become president given the tradition of rotating the top office between the north and the south after the death of Umaru Yar’Adua, a northerner, when Goodluck Jonathan, another southerner assumed the interim presidency.

Immediately after the election, widespread violence erupted in the northern parts of the country. The Independent National Electoral Commission Chairman and Chief Returning Officer, Prof. Attahiru Jega at 8:32pm Monday, April 18th, 20111 declared the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, President Goodluck Jonathan as the winner of Saturday’s Presidential election.

Jega said that Jonathan scored 22, 495, 187 votes;  Malam  Nuhu Ribadu, Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, candidate scored 2,790,151 votes;  Congress for Progressive Change, CPC,  candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari scored 12, 214,853 votes while ANPP’s candidate, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau scored  917,012 votes.

According to Jega, total votes cast is 39, 469, 484 votes.

However, only the PDP representative signed the final results as declared by the INEC chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega.

Jega also said that with regards to requirement of the Electoral Act  for a candidate to emerge winner, he must score a minimum of  25 per cents in two/thirds of the  36 states and the FCT.

The ACN candidate, Nuhu Ribadu scored a minimum of 25 percent in 4 states:  Ekiti, Ogun, Osun and Oyo states.

Muhammadu Buhari  of the CPC scored  25 percent in 16 states; Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger, Nasarawa, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, Zamfara and FCT, Abuja.

Jonathan scored 25 percent of votes in 31 states: Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna,Kebbi,Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Kwara, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba and the FCT, Abuja .