President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria enters office in unprecedented peaceful transition of power.
By Luca Bücken.
On 29 May 2015, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, H.E. Muhammadu Buhari was inaugurated as Nigeria’s president in the capital of Abuja after winning the election on 28 March. The ceremony was attended by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and other foreign dignitaries, including South African President Jacob Zuma.
In the elections, which were praised for being generally fair, President Buhari had defeated sitting president Goodluck Jonathan. The elections marked the first time an opposition candidate defeated an incumbent in Nigerian elections. Furthermore, another historic precedent was set when Goodluck Jonathan allowed for a remarkably peaceful transition of power. Goodluck Jonathan’s contribution to this historic achievement was also acknowledged President Buhari in his inauguration speech: “I would like to thank President Goodluck Jonathan for his display of statesmanship in setting a precedent for us that has now made our people proud to be Nigerians wherever they are”.
The leadership position is not a new one for President Buhari, who had assumed power in 1983 in course of a military coup, but was toppled two years later and imprisoned for 40 months. President Buhari assumes power now for the second time, his country is facing critical challenges, including the increasing security threat from the Boko Haram terrorist group, which has vowed to create an Islamic state in Nigeria. Against the background of a series of defeats of Nigerian armed forces against Boko Haram in the past months, analysts see in President Buhari’s military background and his past agenda of “War Against Indiscipline” a main reason for his election.
Picture © Chatham House https://www.flickr.com/photos/chathamhouse/16628699446/
