Nigerian presidential election, 2011
Encyclopedia
A presidential election was held in Nigeria
on 16 April 2011, postponed from 9 April 2011. The election follows controversy as to whether a Muslim
or Christian
should be allowed to become president given the tradition of rotating the top office between the religions and following the death of Umaru Yar'Adua, who was a Muslim, and Goodluck Jonathan
, a Christian, assuming the interim presidency.
Following the election widespread violence took place in the north of the country. Goodluck Jonathan was declared the winner on 19 April.
meant that power rotates between Muslim north and Christian south every two terms, which means this election is scheduled to be represented by a Muslim. After the death of President Umar Yar'Adua, Northern Muslim, his Vice President Goodluck Jonathan
, a Southern Christian, took over as acting president. The suggestion that Jonathan was considering running for the presidency in his own right was controversial as Yar'Adua had only served one of the two possible terms as president after Southerner Olusegun Obasanjo.
, a former general and military ruler, and Atiku Abubakar
, a former vice president, as expected, ran for the presidency.
After initial doubts, the interim president Goodluck Jonathan declared his intention to run for the presidency on 18 September, 2010. Muhammadu Buhari is seen by some as a principle opposition to Jonathan besides Nuhu Ribadu
.
There are sixty-three registered political parties in Nigeria, of which twenty-one fielded candidates:
during Nigeria's 50th anniversary celebrations and the consequent arrest and interrogation of the Director General of Babangida campaign, Raymond Dokpesi, there were calls for him to quit the race. In addition, there were others who linked his affiliated to the blasts. He responded in saying it would be "idiotic to link" him with attack. Even before the blasts, however, some of his former loyalists, popularly called "IBB Boys," apparently asked him to quit the presidential race so as not to avoid being rubbished by a non-General.
In September 2010, the election commission requested a postponement of the polls citing the need for more time to overhaul the national electoral register. Critics were upset over the proposal. The election was postponed from January to April due to the release of a new electronic voter registration software.
Pre-election violence
In December 2010, bombs went off in Yenegoa, Bayelsa State
during a gubernatorial campaign rally. There were also bombings and shootings in the north blamed on Boko Haram
. Politicians and police said that the campaign of violence aimed to disrupt the election.
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
on 16 April 2011, postponed from 9 April 2011. The election follows controversy as to whether a Muslim
Islam in Nigeria
Fifty percent of the population of Nigeria adheres to Islam, compared to Christianity which represents 40% of the population. Islam came to Northern Nigeria as early as the 9th century CE, and was well established in the Kanem-Bornu Empire during the reign of Humme Jilmi...
or Christian
Christianity in Nigeria
Christianity is a major religion in Nigeria accounting for about 50% of the population. Based on a 2003Nigerian Religious and Demographic survey, Christians comprised 48.2% of the Nigerian population. Christians are dominant in the southern and central region in Nigeria...
should be allowed to become president given the tradition of rotating the top office between the religions and following the death of Umaru Yar'Adua, who was a Muslim, and Goodluck Jonathan
Goodluck Jonathan
Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan, GCFR, BNER, GCON is the 14th Head of State and current President of Nigeria.He was Governor of Bayelsa State from 9 December 2005 to 28 May 2007, and was sworn in as Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on 29 May 2007. Jonathan is a member of the...
, a Christian, assuming the interim presidency.
Following the election widespread violence took place in the north of the country. Goodluck Jonathan was declared the winner on 19 April.
Background
A gentlemen's agreementGentlemen's agreement
A gentlemen's agreement is an informal agreement between two or more parties. It may be written, oral, or simply understood as part of an unspoken agreement by convention or through mutually beneficial etiquette. The essence of a gentlemen's agreement is that it relies upon the honor of the parties...
meant that power rotates between Muslim north and Christian south every two terms, which means this election is scheduled to be represented by a Muslim. After the death of President Umar Yar'Adua, Northern Muslim, his Vice President Goodluck Jonathan
Goodluck Jonathan
Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan, GCFR, BNER, GCON is the 14th Head of State and current President of Nigeria.He was Governor of Bayelsa State from 9 December 2005 to 28 May 2007, and was sworn in as Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on 29 May 2007. Jonathan is a member of the...
, a Southern Christian, took over as acting president. The suggestion that Jonathan was considering running for the presidency in his own right was controversial as Yar'Adua had only served one of the two possible terms as president after Southerner Olusegun Obasanjo.
Candidates
Due to the zoning system a Northern Muslim candidate, Ibrahim BabangidaIbrahim Babangida
General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida CFR DSS mni , popularly known as IBB, was a Nigerian Army officer and military ruler of Nigeria...
, a former general and military ruler, and Atiku Abubakar
Atiku Abubakar
Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, alias Turakin Adamawa, GCON was the Vice-President of Nigeria from 1999 to 2007. He is a Muslim native of Adamawa State, and was an influential member of the ruling People's Democratic Party until 2006 when he switched affiliation to the Action Congress party...
, a former vice president, as expected, ran for the presidency.
After initial doubts, the interim president Goodluck Jonathan declared his intention to run for the presidency on 18 September, 2010. Muhammadu Buhari is seen by some as a principle opposition to Jonathan besides Nuhu Ribadu
Nuhu Ribadu
Mallam Nuhu Ribadu is a former Nigerian government anti-corruption official. He was the pioneer Executive Chairman of Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission , the government commission tasked with countering corruption and fraud...
.
There are sixty-three registered political parties in Nigeria, of which twenty-one fielded candidates:
| Political parties | Presidential candidates | Running mates |
|---|---|---|
| ACN | Nuhu Ribadu Nuhu Ribadu Mallam Nuhu Ribadu is a former Nigerian government anti-corruption official. He was the pioneer Executive Chairman of Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission , the government commission tasked with countering corruption and fraud... |
Fola Adeola Fola Adeola Tajudeen Afolabi Adeola was born in January 1954 to the Adeola household as the 5th of 17 children. His father worked as a bank clerk to cater for their large family. His mother used to send him and his brothers to the streets to hawk wares to supplement the family income... |
| ADC | Peter Nwangwu | Mani Ibrahim Ahmad |
| ANPP | Ibrahim Shekarau Ibrahim Shekarau thumb|right|200px|[[Kano State]] in [[Nigeria]]Ibrahim Shekarau was elected Governor of Kano State in Nigeria April 2003, and reelected in April 2007. He is a member of the All Nigeria People's Party... |
John Odigie Oyegun John Odigie Oyegun John Odigie Oyegun was the Executive Governor of Edo State between 1992 and 1993, during the aborted Nigerian Third Republic.-Background:... |
| AFP | Yahaya Ndu | |
| BNPP | Iheanyichukwu Nnaji | Kadijat Abubakar |
| CPC Congress for Progressive Change The Congress for Progressive Change is a political party founded in Nigeria in 2009 in preparation for the April 2011 elections.It is the 63rd political party to be founded in the country and also the last political party to be registered in Nigeria.... |
Muhammadu Buhari Muhammadu Buhari Muhammadu Buhari was a military ruler of Nigeria and an unsuccessful candidate for president in the 2003, 2007 and 2011 presidential elections... |
Tunde Bakare Tunde Bakare Tunde Bakare is a Nigerian Pentecostal pastor. He has received national and international attention for his televangelism, which has sometimes been critical of the Nigerian government. He was in March 2002 reportedly arrested after sermons apparently critical of then-president Olusegun... |
| FDP Fresh Democratic Party The Fresh Democratic Party is a liberal political party in Nigeria. FRESH is an acronym, Faith, Responsibility, Equality, Security and Hope. The founder and presidential aspirant is Reverend Chris Okotie... |
Chris Okotie Chris Okotie Chris Okotie is a leading Nigerian televangelist and the pastor of the Household of God Church International Ministries, a Pentecostal congregation in Lagos, Nigeria since February 1987.- Education and career:... |
|
| HDP | Ambrose Awuru | Ibrahim Abdullahi |
| LDP | Chris Nwaokobia | |
| NCP | Dele Momodu Dele Momodu Dele Momodu is a Nigerian Journalist/ Publisher. He is the publisher of Ovation International a magazine that has given publicity to many Africans.- Early life :... |
Yunusa Tanko |
| NMDP | Akpona Solomon | - |
| NTP | John Dara | - |
| MPPP | Rasheed Shitta-Bey | - |
| PDC | Mahmud Waziri | Clement Eze |
| PDP People's Democratic Party (Nigeria) The People's Democratic Party is a political party in Nigeria. Its policies generally lie towards the right wing of the political spectrum. It has won every single Presidential elections since 1999, namely: 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011, and is the dominant party in the Fourth Republic.-History:In... |
Goodluck Jonathan Goodluck Jonathan Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan, GCFR, BNER, GCON is the 14th Head of State and current President of Nigeria.He was Governor of Bayelsa State from 9 December 2005 to 28 May 2007, and was sworn in as Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on 29 May 2007. Jonathan is a member of the... |
Namadi Sambo |
| PMP | Nwadike Chikezie | - |
| SDMP | Patrick Utomi Patrick Utomi Patrick Utomi presidential candidate, political economist, management lecturer and entrepreneur. He is an Igbo from the city of Igbuzo. He is a presidential candidate for the Social Democratic Mega Party in the Nigerian April 2011 elections. He was the presidential candidate for the African... |
Lawal Funtua |
| UNPD | Ebiti Ndok | Galadima Samari |
| Ibrahim Babangida Ibrahim Babangida General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida CFR DSS mni , popularly known as IBB, was a Nigerian Army officer and military ruler of Nigeria... |
Campaign
Following a bombing in AbujaAbuja
Abuja is the capital city of Nigeria. It is located in the centre of Nigeria, within the Federal Capital Territory . Abuja is a planned city, and was built mainly in the 1980s. It officially became Nigeria's capital on 12 December 1991, replacing Lagos...
during Nigeria's 50th anniversary celebrations and the consequent arrest and interrogation of the Director General of Babangida campaign, Raymond Dokpesi, there were calls for him to quit the race. In addition, there were others who linked his affiliated to the blasts. He responded in saying it would be "idiotic to link" him with attack. Even before the blasts, however, some of his former loyalists, popularly called "IBB Boys," apparently asked him to quit the presidential race so as not to avoid being rubbished by a non-General.
Controversy
PostponementIn September 2010, the election commission requested a postponement of the polls citing the need for more time to overhaul the national electoral register. Critics were upset over the proposal. The election was postponed from January to April due to the release of a new electronic voter registration software.
Pre-election violence
In December 2010, bombs went off in Yenegoa, Bayelsa State
Bayelsa State
Bayelsa State is a state in southern Nigeria in the core Niger Delta region, between Delta State and Rivers State. Its capital is Yenagoa. The language spoken here is Ijaw language and dialects of the Ijaw language such as Nembe, Atissa, Akassa, Ogbia, etc. However, like the rest of Nigeria,...
during a gubernatorial campaign rally. There were also bombings and shootings in the north blamed on Boko Haram
Boko Haram
Boko Haram is a Nigerian Islamist group that seeks the imposition of Shariah law throughout the whole of Nigeria. The group presently has an undefined structure and chain of command...
. Politicians and police said that the campaign of violence aimed to disrupt the election.