Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has won the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential ticket for the 2023 general elections.

He scored a massive 1,271 votes to clinch the ticket.

Tinubu, also the National Leader of the party, defeated 13 other aspirants to emerge the flag bearer at the end of the Special National Convention of the party on Wednesday in Abuja. He won the election by a landslide after beating Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan to the coveted ticket.

Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State, the returning officer of the APC special convention declared Bola Tinubu elected. He said: “This is to certify that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, having scored the highest number of votes cast, is hereby declared the winner,”

“In line with the provisions of the constitution of our great party and by the power conferred on me as the Returning Officer of this special convention, I, Atiku Bagudu, do hereby declare Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the presidential candidate of our party in the 2023 presidential election.”

The other aspirants included Mr Chukwuemeka Nwajuba, Pastor Tunde Bakare, Chief Ikeobasi Mokelu, Sen. Rochas Okorocha, Mr Tein Jack-Rich and Gov. Ben Ayade.

Others were Gov. David Umuahi, Sen. Ahmad Yarima, Dr Ahmed Lawal, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, Gov. Yahaya Bello and Mr Ogbonnaya Onu.

The race began with 23 aspirants, but nine withdrew shortly before the commencement of voting at the convention.

After weeks of intriguing political drama and acrimony during which the party held several meetings and tried but failed to get a consensus candidate, things started to swing Tinubu’s way when aspirants were called to address delegates before voting began.

Former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, was the first aspirant to step up. Rather than solicit votes for himself, he endorsed Tinubu and appealed to delegates to vote for the APC chieftain.

Senator Ibikunle Amosun and Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, followed in Akpabio’s lead.

Two other aspirants — Senator Ajayi Boroffice and Dimeji Bankole — also signalled their support for Tinubu.

Another major endorsement for Tinubu came from Jigawa State Governor, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar.

The only female in the contest, Uju Ken-Ohanenye, also endorsed the APC chieftain.

The only other endorsement from an aspirant came from Nicholas Felix for Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo.

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Although 23 aspirants were billed to participate in the primary, nine of them – including the seven aspirants who endorsed Tinubu and Felix who stepped down for Osinbajo – pulled out of the contest.

The ninth aspirant who announced his withdrawal was former Senate President Ken Nnamani who had earlier decried the failure of the party to zone its ticket to the South East and lamented the huge deployment of money for campaigns and vote-buying by political heavy-weights and incumbent governors and appointees.

Thereafter, 14 aspirants went into the contest as voting commenced in earnest. They include Tinubu, Osinbajo, Amaechi, Lawan, Umahi, and Rochas Okorocha.

Others are Yahaya Bello, Tein Jack-Rich, Emeka Nwajiuba, Ben Ayade, Ikeobasi Mokelu, Ogbonnaya Onu, Tunde Bakare, and Sani Yerima.

They included Mrs Uju Kennedy-Ohnenye, Dr Felix Nicholas, former Gov. Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom, former Gov. Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun, former Speaker Dimeji Bankole, Sen. Ajayi Boroffice, Gov. Muhammad Badaru of Jigawa, Sen. Ken Nnamani and Gov. Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State.

Below is the list of the aspirants and their votes.

Asiwaju Bola Tinubu- 1, 271 votes.
Mr Chukwuemeka Nwajuba one vote.
Pastor Tunde Bakare- zero vote.
Sen. Ahmad Yarima – four votes.
Sen. Rochas Okorocha – zero vote.
Mr Tein Jack Rich – zero vote.
Gov. Ben Ayade – 37 votes.
Gov. David Umuahi – 38 votes.
Dr Ahmad Lawal – 152 votes.
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo- 235 votes.
Mr Rotimi Amaechi- 316 votes.
Gov. Yahaya Bello – 47 votes.
Mr Ogbonnaya Onu – one vote.
Chief Ikeobasi Mokelu- zero vote.