By Rafiu Ajakaye
LAGOS
Opposition candidate Muhammadu Buhari appears almost certain to win Nigeria's presidential elections, even though poll results from three states have yet to be announced by the country's official electoral commission.
Buhari, a former military ruler who is running on the ticket of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), has so far racked up a total of 14,137,862 votes against 11,373,023 for Jonathan.
Results are still awaited from the three states of Sokoto, Borno and Delta.
Buhari is widely expected to win Sokoto and Borno, while Delta is a stronghold of incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan.
Regardless of the figures each candidate pulls from the three states, Jonathan cannot bridge a gap that currently stands at more than 2.5 million votes.
Nigeria has a total of 36 states, in addition to a Federal Capital Territory (Abuja), which is treated like a state during elections.
Jonathan, a Christian from Bayelsa State in the oil-rich Delta region, has largely won in Nigeria's predominantly Christian south-south and southeastern regions.
Votes for Buhari, a Hausa Fulani Sunni Muslim from the northwestern Katsina State, have come mainly from the predominantly Muslim northwestern and northeastern regions.
Both the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) and the opposition APC – an amalgam of political interests – have members from across the country's sociopolitical and religious spectrum.
Jonathan's ticket includes a Muslim vice-president, while Buhari is running alongside a Christian.
The winner of the presidential race must clinch more than 50 percent of all valid votes, plus a mandatory 25 percent in two-thirds of the country's 36 states.
If no candidate is able to win outright, the two frontrunners will compete for a simple majority in a runoff vote.
Aggrieved parties have 30 days from the election to legally challenge final poll results.
