The 2015 presidential election was a watershed moment for Nigerian democracy. For the first time in the country’s history, an incumbent president was defeated at the polls and peacefully handed over power to the opposition.
Muhammadu Buhari, a former military head of state running on the platform of the newly formed All Progressives Congress (APC), defeated President Goodluck Jonathan of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Jonathan’s phone call to Buhari to concede even before the final results were announced was widely praised as a heroic act that prevented potential post-election violence.
The election was seen as a sign of a maturing democracy where the will of the people could bring about a change in government through the ballot box. Buhari’s campaign focused on fighting corruption, improving security, and fixing the economy.