Elections: Buhari, Osinbajo get certificate of return

President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo have been given their certificate of return as President-elect and Vice President-elect following their victory at last Saturday’s election.

Messrs Buhari and Osinbajo running under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) defeated the candidates of the major opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi.

While the APC candidates scored 15, 191,847, the PDP candidates polled 11,262,978 votes to finish as runner-up.

The president and his vice were declared winners of the election by the National Chairman of INEC, Mahmood Yakubu, early morning on Wednesday at the International Conference Centre, (ICC). The main opposition party, PDP, has rejected the result of the election.

Mr Yakubu gave Messrs Buhari and Osinbajo their certificates of return at about 2:20 p.m. on Wednesday at the ICC Abuja.

The president and his vice arrived at the ICC in the company of their spouses at about 2:10 p.m.

The INEC chairman, Mr Yakubu, who spoke briefly before handing over the certificates of return to the president and vice president-elect, said the occasion is a statutory requirement based on the Electoral Act which requires winners of elections to be given their certificate of return within seven days.

Mr Osinbajo was the first to receive his certificate from Mr Yakubu followed by Mr Buhari.

Details later…