Nigerian voters have re-elected President Muhammadu Buhari, according to final results released late Tuesday night by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Buhari has 15,191,847 votes – 56 percent of the total – while main opposition candidate Akitu Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has 11,262,978 votes. Buhari won in 19 of the 26 Nigerian states, with Abubakar taking the other 17.

INEC plans a Wednesday morning press conference to deliver the final results.

Supporters of Buhari’s All People’s Congress (APC) party were quick to celebrate the news, while the PDP rejected the outcome and focused on irregularities they say compromise the integrity of the election. The PDP included state-by-state listings and counts of votes they say were canceled, and said its national chairman had already told INEC the vote counts were manipulated and rigged.

The PDP said it “maintains that from the actual votes delivered at the polling units, which we all have, Nigerians clearly and unequivocally gave their mandate to Atiku.”

The APC and INEC are in collusion, the PDP said, and they’re using the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies to silence the opposition. Buhari’s camp countered that PDP pressure to declare Abubakar the winner was unacceptable and said the PDP allegations are dangerous and destabilizing.

Observers remained concerned about the potential for electoral violence to escalate once the vote count has been finalized.

Image: APC