Uhuru urges Nigerians to maintain peace as they await results

Former President Uhuru Kenyatta has called on the people of Nigeria to remain patient and peaceful as they await the election result declarations.

He spoke on Monday during a joint press conference with Sierra Leon's former President and head of the ECOWAS mission Bai Koroma.

Uhuru, who is the head of the AU Election Observers Mission (AUEOM), were issuing a preliminary statement on their observations of the Nigeria 2023, polls.

The leaders said the statements reflect the missions' findings and recommendations to relevant stakeholders in the electoral process.

The head of the Commonwealth election observers' mission and former President of South Africa Thabo Mbeki, also issued the mission's preliminary statement at the press conference.

Upon completion of the electoral process, the missions will issue a comprehensive report offering recommendations for improvement of future elections.

According to BBC, the preliminary results show that the Labour Party candidate Peter Obi was leading in Lagos.

Obi has narrowly defeated Bola Tinubu of the ruling APC party, who is a former governor of Lagos state.

Accepting the defeat, Tinubu urged his supporters to do the same and maintain peace. 

This followed reports of violence in parts of Lagos against traders from the Igbo community, to which Obi belongs to.

"People have a right to vote for the candidate of their choice," Tinubu said in a statement released by his campaign team.

The results further show that Tinubu has won five states in his south-western strongholds - Ekiti, Kwara, Ogun, Ondo and Oyo.

The candidate for Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar has won Osun state, his home state of Adamawa, as well as Katsina, where outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari comes from.

He has also won in the south-eastern Akwa-Ibom state.

The head of the Independent National Electoral Commission has confirmed the results from Ekiti, Kwara, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Oyo, but the other results remain provisional.

Yet for declaration, are 26 states and the capital, Abuja.

Additional report by BBC.