Former military dictator Muhammadu Buhari has defeated current President Goodluck Jonathan—whose regime has been unable to prevent the Boko Haram terrorist group from perpetrating repeated massacres and kidnappings—in Nigerian elections. If power is transferred successfully, it will mark the first democratic transition between parties in Nigeria, and the BBC reports that Jonathan has in fact called Buhari to concede defeat. From the New York Times:
With all but one of Nigeria’s 36 states counted, the former military ruler, Muhammadu Buhari, held a lead of more than two million votes over President Goodluck Jonathan.
The remaining state is in the north, where Mr. Buhari enjoys broad support and the government has been widely condemned for allowing the Boko Haram militant group to sweep through villages and towns, killing thousands of civilians.
Some election-related killings, attributed to Boko Haram, have been reported, but no large-scale partisan violence or vote-rigging appears to have taken place.
Nigerian forces, aided by troops from other African countries, have made some recent progress in recapturing territory held by Boko Haram militants, but the group still controls a significant area in the country’s northeast.
