国际英语新闻:Buhari Officially Declared Winner of Nigeria Presidential Election

ABUJA, NIGERIA—Nigeria's electoral commission has officially declared presidential challenger Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner of Saturday's presidential election, defeating incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan.

The commission announced the official results early Wednesday. Buhari, the former Nigerian military leader, beat Jonathan and the People's Democratic Party (PDP) by more than 2 million votes.

Commission chairman Attahiru Jega said Buhari received 15.4 million votes to Jonathan's 12.9 million. 

Late Tuesday when the outcome of the election was apparent, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan conceded defeat, thanking all Nigerians for the opportunity to lead them.

Jonathan said he kept his promise for a free and fair election and appealed to those who disagree with the outcome to follow due process under the constitution and election laws.

Jonathan, whose party ruled the country for 16 years, said his supporters should celebrating "a legacy of democratic freedom, transparency, economic growth, and free and fair elections."

Though Jonathan, 57, took advantage of a six-week postponement in the vote to campaign hard, Nigerians appeared to be angry about his government's failure to stop attacks by the Boko Haram militants, as well as a sputtering economy and endemic corruption.

Buhari, 72, was previously the country's military ruler for 20 months after officers seized power in a 1983 coup.   He was toppled by another military coup, but has run for the presidency four times since democracy was restored in Nigeria in 1999.

He will be inaugurated May 29.

Buhari also won at least 25 percent of the vote in at least 24 states, as required under the constitution.

Yau Shehu Darazo, a top aide to Buhari, said Jonathan had called his rival to congratulate him. Officials from both Buhari's party and Jonathan's party also confirmed to VOA that Buhari had accepted Jonathan's concession.

The result marks the first time in Nigeria's history that an incumbent president was ousted at the ballot box and also heralds the end of a 16-year rule of Jonathan's Peoples Democratic Party.