2015 Nigerian general election

Last updated

2015 Nigerian general election
Flag of Nigeria.svg
28–29 March 2015
Presidential election
  2011
2019  

68,833,476 registered voters [1]
At least 25% of the vote in 2/3 of states + majority of votes needed to win
Turnout43.65% [2] (Decrease2.svg10.03pp)
  Muhammadu Buhari - Chatham House cropped.jpg Goodluck Jonathan 2014.jpg
Nominee Muhammadu Buhari Goodluck Jonathan
Party APC PDP
Running mate Yemi Osinbajo Namadi Sambo
States carried2115 + FCT
Popular vote15,424,92112,853,162
Percentage53.96%44.96%

Map of the 2015 Nigerian presidential election.svg
States won by Jonathan (in green) and Buhari (blue)

President before election

Goodluck Jonathan
PDP

Elected President

Muhammadu Buhari
APC

General elections were held in Nigeria on 28 and 29 March 2015, the fifth quadrennial election to be held since the end of military rule in 1999. [3] Voters elected the President and members to the House of Representatives and the Senate. The incumbent president, Goodluck Jonathan, sought his second and final term.

Contents

The elections were first scheduled to be held on 14 February 2015. However, the electoral commission postponed it by six weeks to 28 March, mainly due to the poor distribution of Permanent Voter Cards, and also to curb ongoing Boko Haram insurgency in certain north-eastern states. [4] The government closed its land and sea borders from midnight on 25 March until the end of the polling date. [5] The election was extended to 29 March due to delays and technical problems with the biometric card readers. [6]

It was the most expensive election ever to be held on the African continent. [7] Nigeria is the continent's most populous country, has the largest economy and is its leading oil producer. Opposition candidate Muhammadu Buhari won the presidential election by more than 2.5 million votes. [8] Incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan conceded defeat on 31 March, before the results from all 36 states had been announced. [9] The election marked the first time an incumbent president had lost re-election in Nigeria. The President-elect was sworn in on 29 May 2015, marking the first time since Nigeria gained independence in 1960 that a sitting government peacefully transferred power to an elected member of the opposition. Buhari flipped many states that had voted PDP in the previous election.

Presidential election

Article 134 (2) of the Nigerian Constitution stipulates that a presidential candidate will be duly elected after attaining both the highest number of votes cast, and having received at least a quarter of the votes at each of at least two-thirds of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). If no candidate satisfies the requirement, a second election will be held between the two leading candidates within seven days from the pronouncement of the result. [10]

Party primaries

People's Democratic Party

It had long been assumed that incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan would run for re-election, as despite declining approval ratings, he was still thought to be popular and had several high-profile supporters. [11] Jonathan officially confirmed his candidacy on 11 November at a rally in Abuja, announcing to cheering supporters: [12]

After seeking the face of God, and in the quiet of my family, and after listening to the clarion call of Nigerians, I have accepted to present myself to serve a second term.

Jonathan ran unopposed in the People's Democratic Party (PDP) primaries on 10 December 2014, receiving the nomination of the party. However, this was against an unwritten rule that the PDP's presidential candidacy should alternate between Muslim northerners and Christian southerners, and opposition to Jonathan's candidacy had led to the defection of dozens of PDP MPs in the House of Representatives. [13]

All Progressives Congress

Prior to the elections,[ when? ] the All Progressives Congress was formed as an alliance of four opposition parties, the Action Congress of Nigeria, the Congress for Progressive Change, the All Nigeria Peoples Party, and the All Progressives Grand Alliance. [14]

Its primaries, also held on 10 December, were won by retired Major General Muhammadu Buhari, [13] [15] [16] [17] who defeated Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, former Vice-president Atiku Abubakar, Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha and newspaper editor Sam Nda-Isaiah. [18] On 17 December, APC chose Professor Yemi Osinbajo as the running mate of General M. Buhari. [19] [20] [21] [22]

As of February 2015, "Though the APC's voter base is in the north, it enjoys support all over the country, unlike the opposition in 2011." [23]

CandidateVotes%
Muhammadu Buhari 3,43057.2
Rabiu Kwankwaso 97416.3
Atiku Abubakar 95415.9
Rochas Okorocha 40010.4
Sam Nda-Isaiah 100.2
Total5,992100
Source: Nigerian Eye

Presidential debate

A presidential and vice-presidential debate was conducted by the Nigerian media with majority of the candidates attending. The debate was attended by the then incumbent president Goodluck Jonathan, and his vice Namadi Sambo, while as predicted, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Muhammadu Buhari boycotted the debate while his vice-presidential nominee attended. [24] [25] [26] The debate which lasted for approximately an hour was watched by over 20 million people in Nigeria, with radios and the Internet conveying through other means.[ citation needed ]

Candidates

Fourteen candidates contested the election. [27]

The main opposition Goodluck Jonathan faced was from Muhammadu Buhari of the APC. While inaugurating a 250-bed Orthopaedic Hospital in Wamakko, Buhari said: "We will stop corruption and make the ordinary people, the weak and the vulnerable our top priority". [28]

General Muhammadu Buhari holding a broom at a campaign rally. General Buhari holding a broom at a campign rally.jpg
General Muhammadu Buhari holding a broom at a campaign rally.
NomineeRunning matePartyAcronym
Allagoa ChineduArabamhen MaryPeoples Party of NigeriaPPN
Ambrose Albert Owuru [29] Haruna ShabaHope PartyHOPE
Adebayo Musa Ayeni [29] Anthony OlogbosereAfrican Peoples AllianceAPA
Chekwas Okorie [29] Bello UmarUnited Progressive PartyUPP
Comfort Oluremi Sonaiya [29] Seidu Bobboi KOWA Party KOWA
Ganiyu Galadima [29] Ojengbede FaridaAllied Congress Party of NigeriaACPN
Godson Okoye [29] Haruna AdamuUnited Democratic PartyUDP
Goodluck Jonathan [29] Namadi Sambo People's Democratic Party PDP
Mani AhmadObianuju Murphy-Uzohue African Democratic Congress ADC
Martin Onovo [29] Ibrahim Mohammed National Conscience Party NCP
Muhammadu Buhari [29] Yemi Osinbajo All Progressives Congress APC
Rufus Salawu [29] Akuchie Cliff Alliance for Democracy AD
Sam Eke [29] Hassana HassanCitizens Popular PartyCPP
Tunde Anifowose-Kelani [29] Ishaka OfemileAccord AllianceAA

Conduct

After a botched governor's election in Anambra State, there were serious concerns that the election would not go smoothly. The country's election commission had promised a better election process, hoping that combating electoral fraud would prevent the violence that had plagued previous Nigerian elections. [11] Despite this, a pre-election poll by Gallup noted that only 13% of Nigerians had confidence in the honesty of elections. [30]

The Socialist Party of Nigeria filed for registration as a political party to contest the election, but the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) refused the registration. The SPN sued the INEC at the Federal High Court, claiming that INEC had failed to respond to their petition within 30 days as prescribed by law and that thus it would have to be registered automatically. [31]

The presidential election was a trending topic in Nigeria on Twitter, one social media platform reflecting public opinion; although PDP/GEJ may simply have had better support on social media, which is not representative of the population as a whole. According to Impact Social, based on data from 40,000 tweets, Facebook messages, blogs, and other internet outlets that mention PDP or GEJ, 70% of public opinion toward President Jonathan is positive, but messaging on the economy has taken up 6% of election conversation and was seen as a key PDP strength. Social media support for Buhari/APC was a bit "noisier" without a single issue leveraged by the campaign to gain traction: there was general frustration that the campaign lacked consistency, content and focus on the important issues at hand. [32] Social media also played a vital role in serving as a watchdog for the integrity of the election process, as results from polling stations were quickly posted, thus preventing electoral officials from announcing different results from the ones already publicised online. [33]

In January 2015, the #bringbackourgirls campaign raised alarm over plans by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to exclude Chibok and some communities currently under the control of the Boko Haram from getting the permanent voter cards (PVCs) for the February elections. [34] Jonathan's already controversial handling of the situation was exacerbated by the Twitter campaign that was launched in mid 2014, #BringBackJonathan2015, which was widely considered to be insensitive to the victims and their families. Jonathan eventually called for banners containing the hashtag to be taken down and asked for the hashtag to not be used. [35]

Postponement

On 8 February 2015, the Independent National Electoral Commission announced that "presidential and national assembly elections will now hold on 28 March while the governorship and state assemblies election will take place on 11 April, [36] " mainly due to the poor distribution of Permanent Voter Cards, and also the security concerns related to the Boko Haram insurgency in certain north eastern states.

The postponement was called on the grounds of the INEC failing to deliver Permanent Voters' Cards to millions (around 34%) of voters – reportedly only around 45.1mn of 68.8mn registered voters had received PVC's. Additionally, on 5 February, the National Council of State (chaired by President Jonathan) told INEC that it had just launched a major, decisive offensive against Boko Haram for six weeks. Due to the assets and resources that would go into this offensive, the military would be unable to provide security and logistics support for elections. This is a disputable claim, since election security is the primary responsibility of not the military (which should only act as support) but the police and civil defence corps. There is speculation over whether or not the postponement was motivated by politics rather than security and has raised questions over the political neutrality of the military as well as the independence of INEC. [37]

[38] Sambo Dasuki, Nigerian national security advisor, told the commission "that operations against Boko Haram militants meant the military "will be unable to provide adequate security" for the 14 February vote." [39] "Seventeen out of the 28 registered political parties" supported postponing the elections; 12 opposed, "including the leading opposition party, All Progressives Congress". [40] By 30 January, "Boko Haram was in total occupation/complete control of 13 local governments (and other swathes of land) in Borno and 2 each in Yobe and Adamawa." [41] Critics of the postponement view it as a political move on behalf of GEJ/PDP rather than one made in the interest of national security. GEJ/PDP are losing traction due to gains by Boko Haram in January, economic strains from the slide in global oil price (Nigeria's key export), and GEJ/PDP's slow progress on fighting corruption and improving infrastructure. According to primaries in December 2014, Buhari/APC is viewed as more equipped to fight insecurity and corruption.

Critics have pointed out that even with the postponement, the Nigerian government is unlikely to re-establish control in all the affected areas by the date of the election. Distribution of the Permanent Voters' Card (PVC) has begun in camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the three affected states. Estimates of the number of IDPs range from 868,235 to 1.5 million people and is not yet clear how successful efforts will be to organise elections under these circumstances. [41] Key Government officials in Nigeria are publicly stating their opposition to the postponement. Senator Chris Ngige, for example, has accused the PDP of pressuring INEC to postpone the general elections. [42]

Secretary Kerry Meets With Nigerian Presidential Challenger Buhari For Conversation About Upcoming Election (16364324705).jpg
US Secretary of State meeting the two leading candidates.
Nigerian President Jonathan Greets Secretary Kerry Upon Arrival At State House in Lagos for Election Conversation (16177696837).jpg

In addition to growing criticism within Nigeria, on 8 February Vanguard reported that "the United States said it was 'deeply disappointed' by the delay." US Secretary of State John Kerry, who had urged that elections be held on time, "[warned] the Nigerian government against using 'security concerns as a pretext for impeding the democratic process.'" [43] Additionally, the British Foreign Secretary, Philip Hammond, has revealed that he, too, is disgruntled by the news: "The security situation should not be used as a reason to deny the Nigerian people from exercising their democratic rights. It is vital that the elections are kept on track and held as soon as possible". [44] Deutsche Welle reported that "The postponement has been seen by critics as a ploy by President Goodluck Jonathan and the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) to buy time to sway support from the popular main opposition candidate and former military dictator, Muhammadu Buhari." [39]

By 7 February 2015, threats of post-election violence from both sides remained a concern, given that hundreds of people died in the rioting that followed the 2011 Nigerian presidential election, [39] and rhetoric was running high. It was reported that "the Council of Imams and Ulamas in Kaduna State ... told the Niger Delta militants threatening chaos if President Goodluck Jonathan loses the presidential election that they stand to lose if there is a war." [45] The GMB Volunteers, a group described as a "frontline voluntary organization made up of professionals, ethnic and religious groups," has criticised hate advertisements directed against APC candidate General Muhammadu Buhari. [46]

On 9 February, although "Nigerian civil society" was "in uproar" over the postponement, the north east remained calm, and voters there appeared willing to wait. [47]

Groups such as the Nigeria Stability and Reconciliation Programme (NSRP) have "advised political parties to stop making hate speeches against opponents." [48]

The Nigeria Women Platform for Peaceful Election (NWPPE) is collaborating with United Nations Women to hold training sessions for journalists on gender-based violence and gender sensitive reporting. A "women situation room", similar to a "civil society situation room" is planned for monitoring violence against women during the elections. [49]

Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki, who has called the postponement "an obstruction of democracy", nonetheless released a statement saying "I charge Nigerians to be calm, non-violent and steadfast. We must be determined to make sure postponement does not demoralize or disenfranchise us. We must see this as a challenge for us to remain resolute in yearning for a new democratic government; one that will not see itself as above the people." [50]

On 31 January, a concert was held in Owerri, Imo State, as part of the RSVP concert series, urging young people to RSVP – Register, Select, Vote and Protect. "Register – pick your Permanent Voters' card-PVC, Select (select your candidates), and Vote – vote not Fight, and Protect – protect your mandate." A second RSVP concert was planned for Lagos on 8 February. [51]

The postponement was the topic of a Council on Foreign Relations online conference call with John Campbell on 28 February 2015. [52]

According to the Nigerian Constitution, the presidential election must be held by 28 April. [47] As Section 25 of the 2010 Electoral Act states, the date is to be no later than 30 days before the expiration of the previous office holder's term of office. [53]

Media support

Buhari was supported by The Economist "with a heavy heart" as "the least awful" option; the newspaper was scathing about the repression and economic policy of Buhari's previous regime, but praised his subsequent adherence to democratic process, anti-corruption stance, and the legitimacy he held in the Muslim North as a stronger platform with which to combat Boko Haram. [54]

Voting day

The website of the Independent National Electoral Commission was hacked on election day by a group calling itself the Nigerian Cyber Army. [55]

Extension

Voting was extended due to technical problems with electronic card readers. [56] The technology was introduced to prevent voter fraud, but was opposed by President Goodluck Jonathan who called it a "huge national embarrassment" when problems caused a delay. President Jonathan himself failed to be accredited by the card reader, which was shown live on national television. [57]

Violence

Boko Haram attempted to disrupt the election by attacking voting centres, killing 41 people. [58] [59] An opposition politician, Umaru Ali, was gunned down in one attack. [60] [61]

Peace initiatives

The Jos Forum Inter-communal Dialogue Process was established to serve as a sustainable and impartial dialogue mechanism to be used by the communities to handle disputes. [62] In 2015, the Jos Peace Dialogue Forum has already served as a platform for various political parties to discuss challenges and commit to peaceful elections in 2015. [63]

President Buhari said that the election was not a do-or-die affair. [64]

Observers

Election observer missions [EOM] were deployed from the African Union (AU), Commonwealth of Nations, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the European Union (EU); and were led by Amos Sawyer, [65] Bakili Muluzi, [66] John Kufuor, [67] and Santiago Fisas respectively. [68]

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon congratulated the citizens and the government for conducting a peaceful and orderly election. [69] The AUEOM concluded that the elections were conducted in a "peaceful atmosphere" and met the "continental and regional principles of democratic elections". [65] ECOWAS EOM said that it met the "criteria of being free and transparent" despite "pockets of incidents and logistical challenges." [67] The Commonwealth EOM described the conduct as "generally peaceful and transparent." [70]

Opinion polls

Poll sourceDateSample sizeUndecided Buhari
APC
Jonathan
PDP
Notes
Sahara Reporters [71] [72] 15 October 201415,435N/A79%21%24-hour online poll
Buildup Nigeria [71] [73] 16 October 201426,5952.29%48.41%49.3%The poll was conducted by Reno Omokri, who serves as President Jonathan's Special Assistant on New Media. [74]
Afrobarometer [75] 5–27 December 20142,40011%42%42% Margin of error of +/-2%
Nigerian FM [76] 22 December 201454%48%
WorldStage Newsonline [77] 27 March 20151,886N/A35.53%64.48%
NigerianEye [78] 20 January 20157,043N/A72%25%The remaining 3% voted for other candidates

Results

President

CandidateRunning matePartyVotes%
Muhammadu Buhari Yemi Osinbajo All Progressives Congress 15,424,92153.96
Goodluck Jonathan Namadi Sambo People's Democratic Party 12,853,16244.96
Adebayo AyeniAnthony OlogbosereAfrican Peoples Alliance53,5370.19
Ganiyu GaladimaOjengbede FaridaAllied Congress Party of Nigeria40,3110.14
Sam EkeHassana HassanCitizens Popular Party36,3000.13
Rufus SalauAkuchie Cliff Alliance for Democracy 30,6730.11
Mani AhmadObianuju Murphy-Uzohue African Democratic Congress 29,6660.10
Allagoa ChineduArabamhen MaryPeoples Party of Nigeria24,4750.09
Martin OnovoIbrahim Mohammed National Conscience Party 24,4550.09
Tunde Anifowose-KelaniIshaka OfemileAccord Alliance22,1250.08
Chekwas OkorieBello UmarUnited Progressive Party18,2200.06
Remi Sonaiya Seidu Bobboi KOWA Party 13,0760.05
Godson OkoyeHaruna AdamuUnited Democratic Party9,2080.03
Ambrose Albert OwuruHaruna ShabaHope Party7,4350.03
Total28,587,564100.00
Valid votes28,587,56497.13
Invalid/blank votes844,5192.87
Total votes29,432,083100.00
Registered voters/turnout67,422,00543.65
Source: INEC

By state

State Buhari Jonathan AyeniGaladimaEkeSalauAhmadChineduOnovoKelaniOkorieSonaiyaOkoyeOwuru
Abia 13,394368,3032,7662,1941,046448569424745315330173213125
Adamawa 374,701251,6641,5491,1668195951,0121,1631,212495334752289267
Akwa Ibom 58,411953,3043844434124746083273811,600144160224192
Anambra 17,926660,7622,3031,2591,2794755345378875471,121311286357
Bauchi 931,598 86,085964232391173189128207131371282946
Bayelsa 5,194361,2097038446911662954535522018
Benue 373,961303,7379451,4645672545394396833157410566115
Borno 473,54325,640878243310392201143107145411583188
Cross River 28,368414,8635325143817097498649302791,487312289237
Delta 48,9101,211,4054789168137358883936701,473261311354166
Ebonyi 19,518323,6532,4521,2142,3451,1332,7041,1681,8904264,859913624989
Edo 208,469286,8697091,2843254505127295161597217516022
Ekiti 120,331176,466482538330854424388377941451086094
Enugu 14,157553,0037154792372694784077614412902031,623110
Gombe 361,24596,87377319240716924715722710437972546
Imo 133,253559,1852,2369567337571,6174147845331,917158264157
Jigawa 885,988142,9042,5275401,553587375853548394197423338337
Kaduna 1,127,760484,0851,6114248242735465497542187817679105
Kano 1,903,999215,7792,7707781,552708657485697426156288234292
Katsina 1,345,44198,9371,6714029762834982543301837221511747
Kebbi 567,883100,9722,6853611,794450472547519214238448207213
Kogi 264,851149,9871,0011,089967427761476399700156190180144
Kwara 302,146132,6021,16581791052043832539424810221481118
Lagos 792,460632,3272,1773,0381,1254,4532,0721,0411,4301,7952441,000269255
Nasarawa 236,838273,4603109513174105164222403348234
Niger 657,678149,2222,0064411,264403614449550307118305116198
Ogun 308,290207,9501,9303,0729781,9271,3644,339815584597432562332
Ondo 299,889251,3681,1392,4061,0121,2371,227734846386221223184184
Osun 383,603249,9291,3061,7311,0291,667937599767377159255124132
Oyo 528,620303,3764,4688,9796,6746,2825,0002,8421,8956,3313,6651,3121,069839
Plateau 429,140549,615618391237279406554693178291385456
Rivers 69,2381,487,0755135255771,1041,0314925651,0661562,274303542
Sokoto 671,926152,1993,4825351,894714762605686249180475269283
Taraba 261,326310,8001,3068111,033586320680876962439153224161
Yobe 446,26525,526632164329213112101120101321043067
Zamfara 612,202144,8331,310238655290294374404125681229314
FCT 146,399157,195674342347240288269473139961659583
Total15,424,92112,853,16253,53740,31136,30030,67329,66624,47524,45522,12518,22013,0769,2087,435
Source: INEC

Senate

Nigerian Senate 2015.svg
PartyVotes%Seats+/–
All Progressives Congress 60+28
People's Democratic Party 48–23
Vacant1
Total1090
Total votes29,432,083
Registered voters/turnout67,422,00543.65
Source: IPU

House of Representatives

Nigerian House 2015.svg
PartyVotes%Seats+/–
All Progressives Congress 212+77
People's Democratic Party 140–63
All Progressives Grand Alliance 5–2
Accord 1–4
Labour Party 1–7
Social Democratic Party 10
Total3600
Total votes29,432,083
Registered voters/turnout67,422,00543.65
Source: IPU

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Adamawa State gubernatorial election</span> 2023 gubernatorial election in Adamawa State, Nigeria

The 2023 Adamawa State gubernatorial election took place on 18 March 2023, to elect the Governor of Adamawa State, concurrent with elections to the Adamawa State House of Assembly as well as twenty-seven other gubernatorial elections and elections to all other state houses of assembly. The election — which was postponed from its original 11 March date — was held three weeks after the presidential election and National Assembly elections. Incumbent Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri (PDP) was re-elected by a 3.75% margin over first runner-up and APC nominee — Senator Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed.

The 2023 Yobe State gubernatorial election took place on 18 March 2023, to elect the Governor of Yobe State, concurrent with elections to the Yobe State House of Assembly as well as twenty-seven other gubernatorial elections and elections to all other state houses of assembly. The election—which was postponed from its original 11 March date—was held three weeks after the presidential election and National Assembly elections. Incumbent APC Governor Mai Mala Buni won re-election to a second term.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Nigerian presidential election</span>

The 2023 Nigerian presidential election was held on 25 February 2023 to elect the president and Vice President of Nigeria. Bola Tinubu, the former Governor of Lagos State and nominee of the All Progressives Congress won the election with 36.61% of the vote, just under 8.8 million votes to defeat over runners-up former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Governor of Anambra State Peter Obi. Other federal elections, including elections to the House of Representatives and the Senate, held on the same date while state elections were held on 18 March. The inauguration was held on 29 May 2023.

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