Jonathan takes major lead in Nigerian presidential vote

FE Team | Published: April 18, 2011 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

LAGOS, April 17 (AFP): Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has taken a major lead in elections in Africa's most populous nation, results showed Sunday, putting him on a possible course for a first-round victory. Results from 30 states showed Jonathan had won 20, while ex-military ruler Muhammadu Buhari had nine and the former head of the anti-graft agency, Nuhu Ribadu, had one state. Nigeria has 36 states plus the Federal Capital Territory, which includes Abuja and the surrounding area. The results were a combination of those officially announced in Abuja and those not yet reported in the capital but declared at the state level, as well as reports from local media and NGOs. A candidate must do more than carry the most votes to be declared the winner, with the constitution spelling out that one-quarter of the ballots in at least two-thirds of the states must also be captured.