The electoral commission has declared ruling party candidate Bola Tinubu winner of Nigeria’s presidential election.

    Tinubu’s ruling All Progressives Congress party urged the opposition to accept defeat. The announcement is likely to lead to a court challenge by Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi who finished behind Tinubu. Observers said polls were mostly peaceful, though delays caused some voters to wait until the following day to cast their ballots.

    Nigeria’s electoral commission has declared Bola Tinubu winner of Saturday’s closely contested election.

    Al Jazeera’s Ahmed Idris talks to us about people’s frustrations over the worsening economy, insecurity and the rising cost of living.

    Bola Tinubu, a political “godfather” famed for his strategic deftness and clout, never hid his ambition to be president of Nigeria.

The 70-year-old has now fulfilled his “lifelong” goal by winning the presidency of Africa’s most populous nation with 8.8 million votes, according to final election results.

    A Muslim born in Nigeria’s Yoruba-speaking southwest, Tinubu trained as an accountant in the United States and worked for several US companies, including as a treasurer at oil giant ExxonMobil.

    He is believed to be one of Nigeria’s richest politicians and after leaving office he was accused of corruption, money laundering and operating more than a dozen foreign bank accounts. He was never charged and denies wrongdoing.

    The source of his wealth is unknown but he has interests in a number of business ventures, from media and aviation, to tax consultancy, hotels and real estate holdings.