Category: World News

World News

Bola Tinubu wins Nigeria’s presidential election

Ruling party candidate Bola Tinubu has been declared the winner of Nigeria’s disputed presidential election.

The 70-year-old veteran politician got 36% of the vote, official results show.

His main rival Atiku Abubakar polled 29%, and Labour’s Peter Obi 25%. Their parties had earlier dismissed the poll as a sham, and demanded a rerun.

Mr Tinubu is one of Nigeria’s richest politicians, and based his campaign on his record of rebuilding the biggest city, Lagos, when he was governor.

He was nevertheless defeated in the city by Mr Obi, a relative newcomer who mobilised the support of many young people, especially in urban areas, shaking up the country’s two-party system.

Mr Tinubu won most other states in his home region of the south-west, where he is known as a “political godfather”.

He campaigned for the presidency under the slogan: “It’s my turn”.

President Muhammadu Buhari is stepping down after two terms in office, marked by economic stagnation and growing insecurity around the country – from an Islamist insurgency in the north-east to a nationwide crisis of kidnapping for ransom and separatist attacks in the south-east.

Mr Tinubu now has the task of solving these problems, among others, in Africa’s most populous nation and biggest oil exporter.

After fighting military rule in Nigeria, escaping into exile and being one of the founding members of the country’s democracy in 1999, Mr Tinubu will feel that he was destined to become president.

He was always the favourite to replace Mr Buhari – whom he helped become president – and the hurdles he has surmounted to get here will make this an even sweeter win for him.

He was not expected to win the party primary, yet he won.

Many said his decision to go with another Muslim as a running mate would prove an obstacle, but it was not.

Previously all major parties have split their presidential tickets with a Christian from the south and a northern Muslim in order to achieve broad support across this vast nation of 210 million people.

He will now have to prove that he can hit the ground running and that he is still the same formidable force who built modern Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial hub.

Mr Tinubu will be taking charge of a crumbling economy, widespread insecurity and as the results map shows, a country retreating into regional and religious blocs.

Argentina forward Messi wins Best Fifa men’s player of the year award

Argentina and Paris St-Germain forward Lionel Messi has been named men’s player of the year at the 2022 Best Fifa Awards.

The 35-year-old beat French forwards Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema to the prize.

Messi captained Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar, and scored 27 goals in 49 games for club and country in 2021-22.

Barcelona’s Alexia Putellas was named women’s player of the year.

Messi, who won the award for a second time, said: “It’s amazing. It’s been a tremendous year and it’s an honour for me to be here and win this award. Without my teammates, I wouldn’t be here.

“I achieved the dream I had been hoping for so long. Very few people can achieve that and I have been lucky to do so.”

At the ceremony in Paris, Lionel Scaloni, who led Argentina to their third World Cup title, was named men’s coach of the year.

Scaloni beat Pep Guardiola – who guided Manchester City to a sixth Premier League title – and Real Madrid’s Champions League-winning boss Carlo Ancelotti to the honor.

England manager Sarina Wiegman was named women’s coach of the year after leading the Lionesses to European Championship glory on home soil last year, the team’s first major trophy.

Aston Villa and Argentina’s Emiliano Martinez was recognised as the best men’s goalkeeper, while England’s Mary Earps won the women’s award.

Martinez, 30, helped his country win the World Cup, saving four penalties along the way including in the shootout victory against France in the final.

Collecting his award, Martinez said: “They always ask me who my idols are or who I watched when I was a kid… watching my mum clean buildings for eight or nine hours and watching my dad work. They are my idols.”

Earps, who plays for Manchester United in the Women’s Super League, started all six of England’s games at Euro 2022 as they won the competition.

She said: “For anyone who has been in a dark place, just know there is light at the end of the tunnel, so keep going. You can achieve anything that you set your mind to.”

Amputee footballer Marcin Oleksy, of Polish side Warta Poznan, won the Fifa Puskas award for the best goal of the year. He sent a stunning overhead volley against Stal Rzeszow flying into the back of the net with the help of his crutches.

Recipient of the fair play award was Luka Lochoshvili, who held the tongue of his opponent, Georg Teigl, to save his life after the midfielder had fallen unconscious.

Fifpro men’s world XI: Thibaut Courtois; Achraf Hakimi, Virgil van Dijk, Joao Cancelo; Kevin De Bruyne, Luka Modric, Casemiro; Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, Karim Benzema, Kylian Mbappe.

Full list of winners:

The Best men’s player: Lionel Messi

The Best women’s player: Alexia Putellas

The Best men’s goalkeeper: Emiliano Martinez

The Best women’s goalkeeper: Mary Earps

The Best men’s coach: Lionel Scaloni

The Best women’s coach: Sarina Wiegman

The Best Puskas award: Marcin Oleksy

The Best fan award: Argentina fans

The Best fair play award: Luka Lochoshvili

Nigeria polls: Peter Obi’s, Atiku Abubakar’s parties want presidential poll nullified

Nigeria’s two main opposition parties on Tuesday called for the cancellation of the country’s weekend presidential elections, alleging that manipulation of results had led to a ballot that was neither free and fair nor transparent.

Continue reading Nigeria polls: Peter Obi’s, Atiku Abubakar’s parties want presidential poll nullified

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