Atiku maintains Aso Rock lead — after recount of votes

Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has been announced as winner of the election at polling units at Aso Rock.

This was after a recount of votes by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). In the result initially announced, President Muhammadu Buhari lost to Atiku Abubakar, his main rival, by 17 votes.

While Atiku got 1,030 votes, Buhari trailed with 1,013 votes.

The officials were still collating results of the elections from voting when some party agents argued that the figures they had did not tally with the ones with the electoral officials.

Ballots that had been kept away  at two voting points were recounted as the INEC personnel started the collation all over.

Buhari and Atiku split the two units at the presidential villa. While the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate garnered 525 votes at unit 022, Buhari who ran under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), trailed with 465.

At the end of the recount, the margin between Buhari and Atiku dropped from 17 to 13.

Buhari polled more votes than his rival at unit 021, securing 552 as against Atiku’s 505.

The results of the national assembly elections favoured the PDP.