Muhammadu Buhari Leads in Nigeria's Presidential Election

With the counting of some votes from Nigeria's presidential election on Tuesday, April 1, Muhammadu Buhari, the former military dictator of the country, is in the lead and appears to be defeating the current president, Goodluck Jonathan. According to the Associated Press, if Muhammadu Buhari wins and Goodluck Jonathan steps down, it will be the first time in Nigeria's history that an opposition party has democratically removed the ruling party from power. Election officials hope to announce the results of the voting in Africa's most populous country by the end of Tuesday. Based on the counted votes on Tuesday, Muhammadu Buhari has gained a majority of votes in Lagos, Nigeria's commercial hub with the highest number of voters, and in three northern Muslim-majority states that are respected by their residents. This retired general, known for his strictness and now claiming to be committed to democracy, has secured one-third of the votes in the southwestern state for the first time. Experts say this vote does not indicate public support for Muhammadu Buhari but rather expresses the people's opposition to Goodluck Jonathan. Meanwhile, the counting of votes on Tuesday was halted due to protests from representatives of Goodluck Jonathan's party. Peter Gadzy Erobbah, a former government member, protested against the violation of neutrality in the counting process in favor of Muhammadu Buhari, telling the head of the electoral commission who was counting the votes, 'We have lost our trust in you. You are not impartial.' However, it is expected that the final vote counts in the southern Christian states will favor Goodluck Jonathan, who is a Christian. Northern Nigeria is predominantly Muslim, while the southern half has a Christian majority. The winning candidate must secure more than half of the total votes in the country and also 25% of the votes in two-thirds of the 36 states and Abuja, the capital. Kayode Idowu, spokesperson for the Independent National Electoral Commission, told the Associated Press that due to technical issues in transmitting votes from various areas, the counting in some states is delayed. Muhammadu Buhari, who had previously run for the presidency three times, increased his chances of winning this time by forming a coalition of major opposition parties. Buhari's selection as a single candidate represents Nigeria's first historical opportunity to remove an incumbent president. Kadira Ahmed, a political analyst, states, 'Buhari's victory in the presidential election sends a clear message to the government that they cannot disregard the people's votes and that democracy is being established in Nigeria.' Due to years of military dictatorship, this is the eighth presidential election since Nigeria's independence from Britain in 1960 and the fifth since the establishment of democracy in 1999. Muhammadu Buhari, who is Muslim, received 1.9 million votes in Kano, one of the most populous states, while Goodluck Jonathan received 216,000 votes. In Kaduna state, Buhari and Jonathan received 1.1 million and 484,000 votes, respectively. The counting of votes in Abuja, the capital, continues with the presence of party representatives, domestic and international observers, and media. The United States and Britain warned on Monday about 'concerning signs' of political interference in the elections. The two countries stated in a joint statement that they are concerned about any actions that could undermine the independence of the electoral commission and the will of the Nigerian people. The statement, signed by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, noted, 'We have not yet witnessed systematic disruption of the electoral process. However, there is concerning evidence of overt political interference in the vote counting.' Jonathan's party described these statements as 'meaningless.' A spokesperson for Goodluck Jonathan's campaign told reporters, 'We strongly reject these claims of government interference in the work of the Independent Electoral Commission.' While the electoral competition has been disrupted by the violent activities of the Islamist group Boko Haram in northern Nigeria, voter turnout on Sunday was significant. Sixty million people were eligible to vote in Nigeria's elections.