Goodluck Jonathan from the ruling People' s Democratic Party (PDP) wins the Nigerian presidential election, announced the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Monday.

According to the results released here by the INEC chairman Attairu Jega, the PDP won 22,495,187, the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) 12,214,852, the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) 917,012, and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) 2,791, 051.

The valid votes totalled 37,716,842 out of 73 million registered voters, representing about 50 percent voter turnout.

The Nigerian leader garnered 59.64 percent of the votes cast, Maj.Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (CPC) 32.38 percent, Nuhu Ribadu (ACN) 5. 54 and Ibrahim Shekarau (ANPP) 2.43 percent.

The law requires a simple majority or 51 percent.

The PDP candidate won in 23 states, including 16 out of the 17 southern states and seven northern states of Kwara, Kogi, Nasarawa, Benue, Plateau, Adamawa and Taraba and FCT.

He also scored 25 percent or more in 32 states and FCT, surpassing the constitutional requirement of at least a quarter of the votes cast in at least 24 states.

However, in Bauchi, Borno, Kano and Yobe, Jonathan did not meet the 25 percent requirement.

The CPC candidate, Buhari, won in 12 states, all in the north.

The states are Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, Borno, Yobe, Bauchi, Gombe, Niger and Jigawa, Kebbi and Sokoto.

He met the 25 percent requirement in 12 states, with Nasarawa and Taraba being the additional states even though he was not the winner there.

However, he scored less than 25 percent in 24 states, including all southern states and four northern states of Kogi, Kwara, Benue and Plateau.

The candidate of the ACN, Ribadu, won in only one state, Osun, while that of the ANPP, Shekarau, did not win in any state.

Shekarau did not meet the 25 percent requirement in any state.