Bola Tinubu, the candidate for the ruling party in Nigeria, is in the lead after the results from 14 of the 36 states in the nation were announced.
A little more than 44% of the total votes have gone to Mr. Tinubu. Atiku Abubakar, his major opponent, has about 33% of the vote.
Peter Obi of the Labour Party got about 18% of the vote after surprising Mr. Tinubu in the biggest metropolis, Lagos.
The parties of Mr. Abubakar and Mr. Obi left the location where the results are being declared on Monday.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party have argued that the new computerised voting method lacks transparency.
This was the first time an electronic gadget has been utilised to certify voters in a nationwide election.
The opposition parties’ allegations have been refuted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec).
According to its chairman Mahmood Yakubu, the results release would proceed.
According to monitors from the European Union, the electoral body’s inadequate preparation and communication eroded confidence in the procedure.
The All Progressives Congress (APC), which is in power, was charged with cooperating with Inec by the PDP delegate at the election centre in Abuja, the nation’s capital. The PDP branded the election as fraudulent. The Labour Party requested that the announcements be put on hold or that the election be called off and held again.
According to the APC, people who are unhappy with the outcomes should file a lawsuit and the parties should first give the procedure time to complete.
Since the end of military rule in 1999, the APC and PDP have ruled Nigeria.
Formerly unknown Labour Party candidate Mr. Obi stood for office for the first time, vowing to upend the two-party system.
Young people, who make up a third of registered voters, support him in large numbers. There are 15 further applicants.
Mr. Abubakar received five more votes than Mr. Obi and Mr. Tinubu combined in the six states where results have been published thus far.
