How credible are the opposition claims of fraud in Nigeria's presidential election?

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

An Egyptian security officer was killed and four border guards, including another officer, were injured in a rare militant attack near the town of Saint Catherine in southern Sinai, local independent Mada Masr website reported on Tuesday.

The report cited a security source as saying that gunmen attacked a military vehicle before exchanging fire with the five army personnel late on Monday on a highway near Saint Catherine, where attacks are quite rare compared to northern Sinai.

Mada Masr reported that Telegram channels affiliated to the Islamic State (IS) group said the attack was carried out by the IS-affiliated Sinai Province.

Neither the army spokesman nor IS have not released a statement on the reported attack so far.

However, pro-government domestic outlets, including the privately owned Sada el-Balad TV website, reported that Aswan's governor offered condolences over Captain Amr Shehab Abu al-Nil's death.

"The Saint Catherine attack comes at a time when the state and the official media promotes news about the end of terrorism in North Sinai and the return of life to normal as a result of the comprehensive military operation that started in 2018," the governor said.

President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has recently said his government is keen on achieving security in Sinai, noting that terrorism has impeded the development efforts and the living conditions of the peninsula's residents.

An insurgency erupted in northern Sinai following the ousting of late Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in July 2013.

A recent unofficial pro-IS video chronicling the evolution of its Egypt-based Sinai branch has warned that "the war [there] hasn't begun yet".

Hundreds of army and police personnel have been killed in attacks by militants affiliated with the Sinai Province militant group over the past years.

Akinyemi Akinrujomu
BBC News Yoruba editor, Lagos

The declaration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the candidate for the governing APC party, as winner of Nigeria’s presidential election was greeted by wild jubilation in his strongholds in the south-west.

The BBC’s reporters witnessed first-hand celebratory marches and cavorting in the streets of Ondo, Ekiti and Osun states.

Ondo and Ekiti states were won overwhelming by Mr Tinubu.

In Ondo, road transport workers celebrated the former Lagos state governor’s victory in a popular bus terminal, dancing and making merry for some hours.

His supporters in Ekiti danced to the beats of a live band as they marched to the state governor’s office. Governor Biodun Oyebanji, an APC member, came out to receive and congratulate them on Mr Tinubu’s victory.

The south-western state of Osun state was actually won by a slim margin by Atiku Abubakar, the PDP candidate.

But for the nearly half of voters in support of Mr Tinubu, it was a time for celebration. Traditional drummers lined the streets beating their drums for excited dancers.

Nigeria’s president-elect Bola Tinubu has officially received his winner’s certificate at a ceremony in the capital, Abuja.

Supporters cheered, danced and shouted slogans as a beaming Mr Tinubu, wearing a white agbada - a flowing robe - and a red cap, held the certificate aloft. The moment has been shared on Twitter:

While celebrations have also broken out in his south-western support base, in the commercial city of Lagos, where opposition Labour Party Peter Obi trounced Mr Bola won by a slim margin, things were a little more muted.

Some celebrated into the early hours, but the usually busy streets of Lagos are mostly deserted on Wednesday morning, some businesses remain closed.

Outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari congratulated Mr Tinubu, who was the ruling party’s candidate. He also appealed for calm and respect for the outcome of the election.

In remarks before the ceremony, Mr Tinubu also echoed this message.

On Tuesday, the main opposition parties dismissed the poll as a sham, and demanded a rerun.

Mr Tinubu got 37% of the vote, his main rival Atiku Abubakar, of the PDP, polled 29%, and Labour's Peter Obi 25%, according to the official results.

Mary Harper
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Nigeria's opposition Labour Party is to mount a legal challenge against the presidential election victory of Bola Tinubu of the governing APC.

Labour's Peter Obi came third in Saturday's vote.

The opposition says the results were rigged; it is calling for fresh polls.

Just 28% of eligible Nigerian voters took part. Some could not cast their ballot because of malfunctioning machines.

Mr Tinubu won a 37% share of the votes, a lower margin of victory than previous Nigerian presidents.

European Union election observers said there had been significant shortcomings in the electoral process, adding there had been vote-buying but it was too early say how widespread this was.

Chris Ewokor
BBC News, Awka, Anambra state

Image source, AFP

The main city of Awka in Nigeria’s south-eastern Anambra state is quiet. This is the stronghold for Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate who came third in the presidential election with 25%.

People are going about their normal daily activities in the state where Mr Obi, a wealthy businessman has served two terms as governor.

But underneath the façade there is anger about the outcome of last Saturday’s election.

Many people l have spoken to say they feel bitter and frustrated - like they have been robbed of their votes by the electoral commission and what they regard as a fraudulent electoral process.

Jose Tembe
BBC News, Maputo

Image source, Noticias

Flooding in Mozambique has isolated the town of Mabote in the southern province of Inhambane, with the Mapinhane-Mabote road, the only land connection to the rest of the province, cut off.

Provincial roads official Dady Mendes explained that heavy rains that hit the province after the landfall of tropical cyclone Freddy made it difficult for vehicles and people to move around.

He said the rains destroyed close to 700km (435 miles) of roads across the province, disrupting traffic.

Meanwhile in the city of Beira, in the central Sofala province, the number of families looking for accommodation centres continues to increase because their homes are flooded.

On Tuesday, about 200 people sought accommodation at a local primary school in Matadauro, with a district administrator saying some families would be transferred elsewhere to avoid overcrowding.

More rain is expected in the coming days.

Members of Sierra Leone's new generation of internationals are targeting 'limitless' success as they seek qualification for the next Africa Cup of Nations.

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Security forces in Benin repulsed an early Tuesday morning attack at a military base in the north of the country, the website of privately-owned daily 24 Heures au Benin has reported.

Unidentified gunmen attacked the Gouande military base in the Altacora Departement near the border with neighbouring Togo and Burkina Faso.

The attack happened between 02:00 and 05:00 GMT.

Benin, like Togo, has seen increased cross-border incursions from militants based in Burkina Faso since the middle of 2022.

There has been no official statement from the authorities about casualties or ongoing operations by the army following the attack, the website said.

French prosecutors are investigating an allegation of rape made against the Morocco and PSG defender, said to have taken place at his home in Paris.

Civil society groups are holding a protest in DR Congo's capital, Kinshasa, against a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron that is scheduled for later this week.

The protesters gathered outside the French embassy to accuse France of siding with neighbouring Rwanda - which has been linked by the UN and US of supporting the M23 rebel group based in the eastern part of the country.

Rwanda has repeatedly denied supporting the rebels.

President Macron visit is meant to "deepen the Franco-Congolese relationship in the fields of education, health, research, culture and defence," according to a statement from his office.

Mr Macron is making a four-nation tour of central African countries, starting with Gabon on Wednesday.

Kalkidan Yibeltal
BBC News, Addis Ababa

Image source, AFP

Civil society and human rights groups have called on the UN to block efforts by the Ethiopian government to end an independent probe into crimes allegedly committed during a brutal civil war in the country’s north.

The more than 60 organisations include Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

In a letter written to the UN Human Rights Council member states, the organisations said they were alarmed by plans by Addis Ababa to present a resolution that seeks to cut short a UN- mandated inquiry.

Ethiopia has resisted the UN’s International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia (ICHREE) since its inception in 2021 calling it politically motivated and had previously attempted to cut its funding.

Last month, the country’s Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen urged the African Union to support Ethiopia’s bid to terminate what he called the commission’s “unwarranted mandate”.

The civil society and rights organisations called this push by Addis Ababa “unprecedented” and one that could set “a dangerous precedent” about avoiding international scrutiny.

The ICHREE work is needed to ensure justice and accountability particularly as trust in domestic institutions is eroded and authorities continue to harass human rights defenders, the organisations say.

Ethiopia’s civil war was marked by accusations of grave rights violations including killing of unarmed civilians and use of rape as a weapon, some of which according to the UN could amount to war crimes.

All warring parties have been accused of the crimes.

A landmark peace deal was signed in November between the government and fighters from Tigray region and helped a return of relative peace and normality to northern Ethiopia.

But there is still little to no signs of holding perpetrators accountable for alleged abuses.

Richard Kagoe
BBC News, Nairobi

Image source, AFP

A section of members of parliament from the conflict-hit North Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of Congo want President Felix Tshisekedi to consider engaging the M23 rebel group.

In an open letter, the MPs said a peaceful settlement would de-escalate the ongoing conflict in eastern DR Congo that has displaced hundreds of thousands in the past year.

The legislators have demanded to be involved in peace initiatives seeking to resolve the security crisis in the region.

They want humanitarian corridors and roads blocked in areas affected by conflict be opened.

In recent weeks, the M23 has captured villages and towns as they attempt to advance towards the regional capital, Goma.

The group was scheduled to commence withdrawal from positions they occupied in recent offensives beginning Tuesday for a period of one month. It is not clear if the rebels have complied with the retreat plan.

The M23 has engaged government forces in heavy fighting for most of February.

A UN panel of experts says that M23 is supported by Rwanda, something which Kigali denies.

Supporters of Nigeria's ruling APC party have started street celebrations in the commercial hub of Lagos after waking up to news of Bola Tinubu's win in the presidential elections.

Image source, AFP

Image source, AFP

Image source, AFP

Image source, AFP

Celebrations also broke out at the capital, Abuja, following the announcement by the chairman of the electoral commission.

Image source, AFP

Image source, AFP

Ugandan musician Jose Chameleone, real name Joseph Mayanja, has issued an apology for kissing his brother on the lips while on stage during a concert performance on Friday in the capital, Kampala.

It wasn't the first time the brothers kissed on stage, but recently there has been a sharp rise in anti-gay sentiments in the country, with calls for a crackdown on promoters of same-sex relations.

Jose Chameleone's kiss with his musician brother Weasel saw an influential preacher registering a complaint with the Uganda police against the pair.

"I know most of my friends have been offended and didn't carry it lightly. I sincerely apologise. It was just too much energy, excitement. I actually regret it," the musician said in a tweeted video.

The patron of Uganda Musicians Association said he had reached out to Pastor Martin Ssempa with a view to withdraw, external the complaint against Jose Chameleone.

Uganda's parliament on Tuesday gave an opposition MP permission to introduce an anti-homosexuality bill, which he said was meant to deal with recruitment, promotion and funding of activities related to same-sex relations.

Gay relationships are illegal in Uganda, where they can be punished by up to life in prison for committing "unnatural offences".

It was cheers and high-fives as Bola Tinubu watched on television while being pronounced the winner of Nigeria's presidential election.

The 70-year-old veteran politician secured a decisive win - with about two million votes more than his nearest rival.

He has called for reconciliation with his opponents.

A video is being shared on social media that shows how he rejoiced with supporters at his home in the capital, Abuja, as he was declared the president-elect:

BBC World Service

The state-run news agency in Somalia says at least 10 al-Shabab militants have been killed in a security operation in the central Hiiraan region.

It said those killed in Tuesday's engagement included three senior commanders of the Islamist group, adding that the national intelligence agency and international partner forces were involved.

Al-Shabab has lost large areas of territory in recent months in the face of an offensive by Somalia's military working with the African Union, US forces and clan militia - but it continues to launch attacks in the capital, Mogadishu, and some neighbouring countries.

Mary Harper
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

French President Emmanuel Macron is starting a four-nation tour of Central Africa with a visit to Gabon, as France reshapes its strategy on the continent.

This follows its troops' bruising withdrawal from Mali and Burkina Faso.

He won't visit them or any of the other Sahel countries, where Paris has been blamed for failing to curb Islamist militancy.

Both Mali and Burkina Faso have now invited in Russian mercenaries, but French diplomats hope Mr Macron's tour will counter the increasing Russian and Chinese influence in Africa.

Image source, Twitter / Muhammadu Buhari

Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated president-elect Bola Tinubu, saying he is the best man for the job.

"I shall now work with him and his team to ensure an orderly handover of power," the president said in a statement.

Mr Tinubu's win has been disputed by opposition parties, who have demanded a rerun.

President Buhari is stepping down after two terms in office.

He acknowledged challenges in the voting procedure, but said there was no doubt to the "freeness and fairness of the elections".

"If they [opposition parties] feel the need to challenge, please take it to the courts, not to the streets," he said.

Will Leonardo
BBC World Service News

Image source, Reuters

Nigeria's president-elect Bola Tinubu has appealed for unity in an address to jubilant supporters after being announced the winner of Saturday's election.

The former governor of Lagos said he wanted to work to make Nigeria great.

Mr Tinubu, from the governing All Progressives Congress, won almost nine million votes, two million more than his nearest rival.

But opposition parties have called for the poll to be cancelled, alleging result manipulation.

There has been widespread concern about the slow counting of the votes.

The electoral commission rejected the accusations.

Mr Tinubu will take over from Muhammadu Buhari who is stepping down after two terms at the age of 80.