The Nigerian general election of 2015 will be the 5th Quadrennial Election to be held since the end of Military Rule in 1999
The elections were first scheduled to be held on 14 February 2015. The Electoral Commission postponed it by six weeks to Saturday March 28, 2015 due to the on going Boko Haram Insurgency in the north-eastern part of the country
On February 8, 2015, the independent national electoral commission announced that "presidential and national assembly elections will now hold on March 28 while the governorship and state assemblies election will take place on April 11,2015 due to security concerns related to the Boko Haram Insurgency
Thousands of Nigerians who fled the six-year insurgency, and are taking refuge in neighbouring states, would not be able to vote
Voters will elect the President and Members to the House of Representatives and the Senate
Polls will open at 08:00 local time (07:00 GMT). All voters must be present at their designated polling station by 13:00 local time to be allowed to cast their ballot. Polls will close when the last person in the queue has voted.
Biometric cards will be used for the first time. Inec says more than 80% of the nearly 70 million eligible voters have obtained their identity cards. The minimum voting age is 18.
An extra 30,027 polling stations have been set up, bringing the total to 150,000 nationwide.
Boko Haram has denounced the elections as un-Islamic.
A state of emergency is in force in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, three Nigerian states where Boko Haram is strongest.
Presidential Election
Nigeria's presidential election promises to be a closely fought rematch between incumbent Goodluck Jonathan and former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari.
14 are contesting the election but only Mr Jonathan and Gen Buhari have a realistic chance of winning.
President Jonathan is seeking a second four-year term.
Googluck Jonathan's People's Democratic Party (PDP) has dominated Nigerian politics since civilian rule was restored in 1999 but now faces its toughest election challenge, from theAll Progressive Congress (APC).
The incumbent president, Googluck Jonathan is seeking a second and final term
Goodluck Jonathan officially confirmed his candidacy on Nov 11,2014 at a rally in Abuja,announcing to cheering supporters:
Prior to the election,the All Progressive Congress(APC) was formed as an alliance of 4 opposition parties -
Buhari who defeated -
Gen Buhari has lost the last three elections but some sections of the Nigerian media are predicting a win this time. He has described the PDP's 16-year rule as "a disaster for the country and its citizens".
He is said to be extremely popular in the mainly Muslim north and has in the past supported the implementation of Islamic law
Article 134 (2) of the Nigerian Constitution stipulates that the a presidential candidate will be duly elected after attaining both the highest number of votes cast; and has received at least a quarter of the votes at each of at least two-thirds of all the States and the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja
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
Nigerian Presidential Candidate Rivals Sign Peace Accord
The two promised to respect the outcome of a credible poll and urged their supporters to refrain from violence.
Some 800 people were killed after the 2011 contest between the two rivals.
Parliament Election
739 candidates vying for a place in the 109-seat Senate and 1,780 seeking election to the 360-seat National Assembly.
Nigerians will vote again on 11 April to choose new governors and state assemblies for 29 of the 36 states.
Like the president, governors are limited to two four-year terms, so this election will see new occupants in many states
The elections were first scheduled to be held on 14 February 2015. The Electoral Commission postponed it by six weeks to Saturday March 28, 2015 due to the on going Boko Haram Insurgency in the north-eastern part of the country
On February 8, 2015, the independent national electoral commission announced that "presidential and national assembly elections will now hold on March 28 while the governorship and state assemblies election will take place on April 11,2015 due to security concerns related to the Boko Haram Insurgency
Thousands of Nigerians who fled the six-year insurgency, and are taking refuge in neighbouring states, would not be able to vote
Voters will elect the President and Members to the House of Representatives and the Senate
Polls will open at 08:00 local time (07:00 GMT). All voters must be present at their designated polling station by 13:00 local time to be allowed to cast their ballot. Polls will close when the last person in the queue has voted.
Biometric cards will be used for the first time. Inec says more than 80% of the nearly 70 million eligible voters have obtained their identity cards. The minimum voting age is 18.
An extra 30,027 polling stations have been set up, bringing the total to 150,000 nationwide.
Boko Haram has denounced the elections as un-Islamic.
A state of emergency is in force in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, three Nigerian states where Boko Haram is strongest.
Presidential Election
Nigeria's presidential election promises to be a closely fought rematch between incumbent Goodluck Jonathan and former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari.
14 are contesting the election but only Mr Jonathan and Gen Buhari have a realistic chance of winning.
President Jonathan is seeking a second four-year term.
Googluck Jonathan's People's Democratic Party (PDP) has dominated Nigerian politics since civilian rule was restored in 1999 but now faces its toughest election challenge, from theAll Progressive Congress (APC).
The incumbent president, Googluck Jonathan is seeking a second and final term
Goodluck Jonathan officially confirmed his candidacy on Nov 11,2014 at a rally in Abuja,announcing to cheering supporters:
"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."Goodluck Jonathan ran unopposed in the People's Democratic Party (PDP) primaries on Dec 10, 2014, receiving the nomination of the party.
Prior to the election,the All Progressive Congress(APC) was formed as an alliance of 4 opposition parties -
- The Action Congress of Nigeria
- The Congress for Progressive Change
- The All Nigeria People's Party and
- The All Progressive Grand Alliance
Buhari who defeated -
| Candidate | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Muhammadu Buhari | 3,430 | 57.2 |
| Rabiu Kwankwaso | 974 | 16.3 |
| Atiku Abubakar | 954 | 15.9 |
| Rochas Okorocha | 400 | 10.4 |
| Sam Nda Isaiah | 10 | 0.2 |
| Total | 5,992 | 100 |
- Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso
- former Vice President Atiku Abubakar
- Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha and
- Newspaper Editor Sam Nda Isaiah
Gen Buhari has lost the last three elections but some sections of the Nigerian media are predicting a win this time. He has described the PDP's 16-year rule as "a disaster for the country and its citizens".
He is said to be extremely popular in the mainly Muslim north and has in the past supported the implementation of Islamic law
Article 134 (2) of the Nigerian Constitution stipulates that the a presidential candidate will be duly elected after attaining both the highest number of votes cast; and has received at least a quarter of the votes at each of at least two-thirds of all the States and the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja
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
Stand on key election issues
| Goodluck Jonathan | Muhammadu Buhari |
|---|---|
| Security | |
| Says Boko Haram can be defeated in April. Seeks greater regional and international cooperation to tackle the insurgency, terrorism, piracy and organised crime. | Says the government has been ineffective and lacks the willpower to fight Boko Haram. Pledges to end the insurgency within months if elected. |
| Economy | |
| Says he will continue with his economic blueprint known as the "2011-2015 Transformation agenda". Views economic diversification as a key step towards addressing the fall in global oil prices. | Says government's economic policies have worsened the lives of Nigerians. Promises to pick "competent hands" to run the economy. Pledges to tackle poverty by closing the wealth gap through shared economic growth. |
| Corruption | |
| Says "we are fighting corruption. It is not by publicly jailing people. Yes, we believe in suppressing corruption, but our emphasis is in prevention." | Says one of his key priorities is to wipe out corruption. "If Nigeria doesn't kill corruption, corruption will kill Nigeria". |
| Employment | |
| Promises to create 2 million jobs each year. Launched YouWIN scheme for young entrepreneurs and Sure-P initiative aimed at helping graduates find jobs. | Promises to create 20,000 jobs per state, totalling 720,000. Pledges support for the agricultural sector and soft loans for small manufacturers to boost job creation. |
| Infrastructure | |
| Credits his administration with reviving the railway system and improving road infrastructure. | Pledges to complete stalled road projects and improve infrastructural development nationwide, especially in the north-east. |
| Energy | |
| Says government's privatization of the power generation and distribution companies will ensure regular power supplies in the future. | Says he will tackle a sector "riddled with corruption and mismanagement" and adopt a market-based approach. Favours exploration of non-oil sector |
Nigerian Presidential Candidate Rivals Sign Peace Accord
Nigeria's two main presidential
candidates have signed an agreement to prevent violence in tightly
contested elections due on Saturday.
Ex-military ruler
Abdulsalami Abubakar brokered the deal in talks between President
Goodluck Jonathan and his main challenger Muhammadu Buhari. The two promised to respect the outcome of a credible poll and urged their supporters to refrain from violence.
Some 800 people were killed after the 2011 contest between the two rivals.
Parliament Election
739 candidates vying for a place in the 109-seat Senate and 1,780 seeking election to the 360-seat National Assembly.
Nigerians will vote again on 11 April to choose new governors and state assemblies for 29 of the 36 states.
Like the president, governors are limited to two four-year terms, so this election will see new occupants in many states
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