Nigeria’s ruling party won the most seats in both of the country’s legislative chambers in last month’s elections, bolstering president-elect Bola Tinubu’s ability to implement his policy agenda.
(Bloomberg) — Nigeria’s ruling party won the most seats in both of the country’s legislative chambers in last month’s elections, bolstering president-elect Bola Tinubu’s ability to implement his policy agenda.
The All Progressives Congress secured 57 out of 109 constituencies in the Senate and 162 out of 360 in the House of Representatives, Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, said March 4. Results for 11 seats in the upper chamber and 35 in the lower chamber have yet to be declared, he said.
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The scores so far mean the APC is assured a majority in the Senate, but not yet guaranteed one in the House, where a patchwork of opposition parties currently have one more seat. Tinubu, who received the lowest vote share of any president-elect in Nigerian history, will need buy-in from the legislature to push through some of the politically sensitive reforms he’s promised, including removing a costly fuel subsidy.
The next parliament will be “the most diverse national assembly” since the restoration of democracy in 1999, with seven parties present in the Senate and eight in the House, according to Yakubu.
As it stands, the Peoples Democratic Party — whose nominee Atiku Abubakar finished second in the presidential race — will remain the main opposition group, securing 29 seats in the Senate and 102 in the House. The Labour Party – whose Peter Obi finished third – won six and 34 constituencies respectively.
Tinubu is scheduled to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari at the end of May, after a three-month transition period. The PDP and LP are contesting his victory in court.
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