Africa’s most populous country has a new president — and he’s got a spate of obstacles ahead of him.
Opposition candidate Muhammadu Buhari has won Nigeria’s presidential election, the country’s Independent National Electoral Commission said.
Buhari, a retired major general, defeated incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan by about 2 million votes.
Earlier, Jonathan phoned Buhari on Tuesday to concede defeat. The outgoing president also issued a written statement to his nation.
“I thank all Nigerians once again for the great opportunity I was given to lead this country, and assure you that I will continue to do my best at the helm of national affairs until the end of my tenure,” Jonathan said.
“I promised the country free and fair elections. I have kept my word.”
Buhari, 72, takes the helm at a critical time, as Nigeria grapples with the violent militant group Boko Haram.
A leader again
This isn’t Buhari’s first time leading Nigeria — but it’s his first time in nearly 30 years.
A military coup brought Buhari to power in late 1983, closing a brief period of popular rule by Shehu Shagari. But Buhari himself was ousted by another military coup in August 1985.
His presidential win comes after four attempts at leadership since he was kicked out of power in 1985.
Buhari campaigned as a born-again democrat to allay fears about his strict military regime, while stressing that Nigeria’s security needs to be the next government’s focus.
His campaign was also fiercely anti-corruption. He ran under the slogan of “new broom,” and his supporters were often pictured holding brooms in the lead-up to the vote.
Despite years of democracy in Nigeria, corruption has been a hindrance to building a stable economy, analysts say.
Facing extremists
Boko Haram has been terrorizing Nigeria as it tries to institute a strict version of Sharia, or Islamic, law.
In the past few years, the group has bombed both churches and mosques, killed hundreds of people and kidnapped over 200 teenage girls from a boarding school.
Even the presidential vote had to be postponed due to the terror group. The election was originally scheduled for February 14 but was delayed for six weeks because the military needed more time to secure areas controlled by Boko Haram.
Yet the violence persisted. On Saturday, residents in the northeastern state of Gombe said at least 11 people were killed in attacks at polling stations, apparently by Boko Haram extremists.
Jonathan had been criticized for not doing enough to combat Boko Haram.
Documentary filmmaker and African affairs analyst Ayo Johnson said earlier this month that the election would come down to who could make Nigeria feel safe.
“Many Nigerians will not forget (Buhari) was a military leader during a dictatorship,” Johnson said. “Or maybe they will feel that they need a military leader to address fundamental problems such as terrorism.”
Buhari is a Sunni Muslim from Nigeria’s poorer North, while Jonathan hails from a Christian and animist South that is rich with oil.
A spate of challenges
Boko Haram isn’t the only obstacle facing the new president. The economy is another major issue.
Nigeria overtook South Africa last year as the region’s largest economy. But many complain that the country’s vast wealth from oil exports does not trickle down to the average citizen.
As many as 70% of Nigerians live below the poverty line and live on less than a dollar a day.
