The Online Editorial

UPDATES AS INEC CONCLUDES COUNT: #NIGERIADECIDES2015
MARCH 31ST 2015
17:30 (5:30 PM) Nigerian Time
With all but one State left to be declared and General Muhammadu Buhari and APC leading by over 3 million votes the incumbent President Johnathan concedes defeat and calls to congratulate President elect, General Muhammadu Buhari. The final results clearly show that over-optimistic speculators were not 'over-optimistic" after all but had intuitively deciphered the mood of voting patterns and were speculating based on these intuitions.
By conceding defeat, outgoing President Johnathan has set the mood for a peaceful transition on May 29th 2015, drawing the curtains on an election which has already made history. This is the first time in Nigeria's political history that an opposition party will be declared winners at the Presidential elections. This is also the first time digital technology has been incorporated into the voting process in Nigeria. Also mking history, General Muhammadu Buhari is the most consistent Presidential contestant (4 times in a row) edging out Chief Awolowo (3 times) who was generally regarded as "the best President Nigeria NEVER had. President elect Muhammadu Buhari will also go down in Nigeria's history as the first man to be elected to the office of President only on the fourth time of asking. These facts should indeed set political precedents for the length and breath of Africa.
The impact of Social media on this election is worth a whole lot of study. The vibrant technology driven clan took advantage of the networking capabilities of Facebook and Twitter to massively tip the scales of balance on opinions, perception and ultimately the call to action. This should be another hugh precedent for African countries who are lacking the person to person network to inspire and initiate regime change. Employing the Nigerian Twitter and Facebook examples opposition parties in other African countries can muster the network desired to go out on election day and take the desired action of voting out a non-performing incumbent. The perseverance of voters on election day was outstanding. In some polling units people brought their own generators to light up the environment as polling officers did initial sorting of votes critically reducing all avenues of election mal-practice.
Indeed the lessons that this 2015 Presidential elections presents to Africa are numerous and may require careful study.
In General Buhari's Katsina state and many other States of Nigeria the happiness of the common man is visible in the streets.
The Nation smiles as the collective will of the people triumph. April 11th is the day each State seeks out who will captain the ship of state for the next four years. Again we watch.


22:06 (10:06PM Nigerian Time

BREAKING
The last State Borno, has just been declared won by General Buhari's APC.
INEC has retired till tomorrow to officialy declare the winner of Nigeria's 2015 Presidetial elections.

23:30 (11:30PM )Nigerian Time
Corrigendum: INEC has not vacated the declaration centre. The Independent Electoral Commission is currently verifying all results submitted with a view to making the final declaration immediately it is through with verifications