Buhari 'very confident' as opposition claims Nigeria vote win

Abuja (AFP) - Nigeria's main opposition on Tuesday claimed victory in the country's tense election as its candidate Muhammadu Buhari said he was "very confident" of winning the presidency.

As final results came in, All Progressives Congress (APC) spokesman Lai Mohammed called the election for Buhari, as the 72-year-old built a lead over President Goodluck Jonathan in the closely fought campaign.

"This is the first time the opposition has voted a government out of power in Nigeria's history," added Mohammed, as senior party leaders gathered in a celebratory atmosphere in the capital Abuja.

Buhari himself told AFP he was "very confident" of a win, with just three states to declare and the retired army general more than 2.75 million votes ahead of Jonathan.

The former military ruler's campaign spokesman Shehu Garba was more categoric, saying that his man could now not be beaten.

"We have the numbers. Even if they claim 100 percent in the states they control, we can absorb it," he said.

Buhari's wife Asha Mohammed Buhari added: "We are working towards a new Nigeria, as my husband promised."

But she warned: "It's going to be tough. Expectations are high."

Buhari has campaigned on a platform of getting tough on corruption that has blighted Africa's most populous nation and leading economy for years, as well as tackling the Boko Haram insurgency.

He admitted last month that many people were expecting him to perform miracles and part of his job in the early days would be to temper high or even unrealistic hopes of a quick fix.

"Our expectation of getting there overnight is not realistic but... there are some of us in Nigeria who are serious" about stabilising the system, he said last month.