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

"Umaru Musa Yar'Adua of PDP, having satisfied the requirement of the law and scored the highest number of votes, is hereby declared the winner and is duly elected,'' the commission's Chairman Maurice Iwu told reporters in Abuja.

According to the result released by the INEC, Yar'Adua won about 24 million ballots in the country with 61 million registered voters, as against the estimated 6 million and 2 million votes respectively received by Yar'Adua's main rivals -- Muhammadu Buhari from All Nigeria People's Party and Vice President Atiku Abubakar, representing opposition Action Congress.

The opposition candidates said before the official announcement of the result that they would reject the outcome of Saturday's presidential election, arguing that the election, marred by fraud and manipulation, was not fair and credible, calling for the election to be held again.

The European Union observers have expressed concern over the polls, saying they had witnessed violence, ballot stuffing and a big shortfall in voting slips.

The INEC acknowledged late arrival of materials in some parts of Nigeria but said this would not invalidate the result.

Yar'Adua, 56, who has been a little-known governor from northern Katsina state, came under spotlight suddenly at the end of last year, when he was nominated the ruling party's flag-bearer, with the anointment of departing President Olusegun Obasanjo.

This election marks the first time in the Africa's most populous country an elected president hands over to another since the country became independent from Britain in 1960.

Before Obasanjo was elected to his first term in 1999, Nigeria had been under almost constant military rule.

(Xinhua News Agency April 24, 2007)