Nigerians side with former military man
Amid anger over an Islamist insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives, Nigerians returned a 72- year- old former military dictator to power Tuesday in the most hotly contested election in the country’s history.
Incumbent Goodluck Jonathan conceded defeat to Muhammadu Buhari, a cabinet minister close to the outgoing president told The Associated Press, paving the way for an unprecedented peaceful transfer of power in Africa’s most populous nation.
It will be the first time in Nigeria’s history that an opposition party has democratically taken control of the country from the ruling party — a sign of the West African nation’s maturing young democracy.
Jonathan’s party has governed since decades of military dictatorship ended in 1999.
Celebrations erupted all over Buhari’s strongholds in northern Nigeria and around his campaign headquarters in Abuja.
Jonathan called Buhari to congratulate him Tuesday evening, thus conceding defeat, Aviation Minister Osita Chidoka said.
Jonathan’s concession came before the final announcement of election results by the Independent National Electoral Commission and as both he and Buhari prepared to address the nation.
Results of all but one of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory showed Buhari, a former general who ruled with an iron hand during a brief tenure in the 1980s, dealing a crushing defeat to Jonathan.
With some 28 million votes counted, Buhari was leading by two million votes and was expected to carry the sole remaining state, northeastern Borno, the birthplace of the brutal Islamic insurgent group, Boko Haram that has swept through villages and towns in the north, killing thousands of civilians and kidnapping many more, including hundreds of schoolgirls.
Electoral officials broke off the count late in the day, saying it would take several hours for ballots from Borno’s 1.4 million eligible voters to arrive.
Final results were expected late Tuesday.