Nigeria

=== Return to democracy (1999–present) ===
{{Main|Fourth Nigerian Republic}}
[[File:Olusegun Obasanjo DD-SC-07-14396-cropped.jpg|thumb|[[Olusegun Obasanjo]] served as president of Nigeria from 1999 to 2007.|upright]]
On 29 May 1999, Abubakar handed over power to the winner of the 1999 presidential election, former military ruler General [[Olusegun Obasanjo]], as President of Nigeria. Obasanjo had been in prison under the dictatorship of Abacha. Obasanjo's inauguration heralded the beginning of the Fourth Nigerian Republic,<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/2391/Abdusalam-Abubakar "Abdusalam Abubakar"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150504215600/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/2391/Abdusalam-Abubakar |date=4 May 2015 }}, Encyclopædia Britannica Online, accessed 26 October 2012.</ref> ending a 39-year period of short-lived democracies, civil war and military dictatorship. Although the elections that brought Obasanjo to power and allowed him to run for a second term in the 2003 presidential elections were condemned as unfree and unfair, Nigeria made significant progress in democratisation under Obasanjo.<ref>Falola and Heaton, ''A History of Nigeria'' (2008) pp. 211–34.</ref>

In the 2007 general elections, [[Umaru Musa Yar'Adua|Umaru Yar'Adua]] of the People's Democratic Party came to power. The international community, which had observed the Nigerian elections to promote a free and fair process, condemned these elections as seriously flawed.<ref>{{cite web|title=Final Report|url=http://www.eueom-ng.org/Files/final_report.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216032839/http://www.eueom-ng.org/Files/final_report.pdf|archive-date=16 February 2008|access-date=24 January 2008|publisher=EU Election Observation Mission Nigeria 2007}}</ref> Yar'Adua died on 5 May 2010, and Vice President [[Goodluck Jonathan]] had been sworn in by the Senate three months earlier as acting president to succeed Yar'Adua.<ref>{{cite web|date=18 May 2010|title=NASS confirms Sambo as vice president|url=https://www.thenigerianvoice.com/movie/24352/nass-confirm-sambo-as-vice-president.html|access-date=29 May 2011|work=[[The Nigerian Voice]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Akinlade|first=Muruf|date=18 May 2010|title=National Assembly confirms Sambo as Vice President|url=http://www.myondostate.com/myondostate/newssend.php?id=203|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427025349/http://www.myondostate.com/myondostate/newssend.php?id=203|archive-date=27 April 2011|access-date=29 May 2011|publisher=MyOndoState.Com}}</ref> Jonathan won the 2011 presidential election; the polls went smoothly and with relatively little violence or electoral fraud.<ref name="New York2">{{cite news|last=Nossiter|first=Adam|date=16 April 2011|title=Nigerians Vote in Presidential Election|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/world/africa/17nigeria.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp|access-date=17 April 2011}}</ref> Jonathan's tenure saw an economic recovery that made Nigeria the leading economic power in Africa.<ref>{{cite web |last=Times |first=Premium |date=2014-12-23 |title=Nigerian economy among world's largest - Jonathan |url=https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/173732-nigerian-economy-among-worlds-largest-jonathan.html |access-date=2022-10-05 |website=Premium Times Nigeria |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=eribake |first=akintayo |date=2014-12-24 |title=Nigeria's economy among largest in the world — Jonathan |url=https://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/12/nigerias-economy-among-largest-world-jonathan/ |access-date=2022-10-05 |website=Vanguard News |language=en-GB}}</ref> The Jonathan administration also saw an increase in unparalleled corruption, with as many as 20 billion US dollars said to have been lost to the Nigerian state through the national oil company. Above all, however, Jonathan's tenure saw the emergence of a wave of terror by the [[Boko Haram insurgency]], such as the [[Gwoza massacre]] and [[Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping]] in 2014.<ref>{{cite web |last=Udo |first=Bassey |date=2015-05-14 |title=Missing $20 bn: Sanusi faults Alison-Madueke, says audit report proves at least $18.5bn lost |url=https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/182926-missing-20-bn-sanusi-faults-alison-madueke-says-audit-report-proves-at-least-18-5bn-lost.html |access-date=2022-10-05 |website=Premium Times Nigeria |language=en-GB}}</ref>

Ahead of the [[2015 Nigerian general election|general election of 2015]], a merger of the biggest opposition parties in Nigeria – the [[Action Congress of Nigeria]], the [[Congress for Progressive Change]], the [[All Nigeria Peoples Party]], a faction of the [[All Progressives Grand Alliance]] and the new PDP (a faction of serving governors of the ruling People's Democratic Party) – formed the [[All Progressives Congress]] led by current president Bola Ahmed Tinubu. At the time, it was the most expensive election ever to be held on the African continent (being surpassed only by the elections of [[2019 Nigerian general election|2019]] and [[2023 Nigerian presidential election|2023]]). The new mega-opposition party chose as their candidate for the election former military dictator Muhammadu Buhari. Buhari's campaign in 2015 was popular and built around his image as a staunch anti-corruption fighter—he won the election by over two million votes. Observers generally praised the election as being fair.<ref>{{cite news|title=Nigeria election: Muhammadu Buhari wins|newspaper=BBC|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-32139858|access-date=31 March 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=1 April 2015|title=Obama praises Nigeria's president for conceding defeat|url=http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/04/obama-praises-nigerias-president-for-conceding-defeat/|access-date=4 April 2015|publisher=Vanguard}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=APC praises Jonathan for conceding defeat|url=http://thenationonlineng.net/new/apc-praises-jonathan-for-conceding-defeat/|magazine=The Nation|access-date=4 April 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=31 March 2015|title=Anyaoku Praises Jonathan For Conceding Defeat|url=http://www.channelstv.com/2015/03/31/anyaoku-praises-jonathan-for-conceding-defeat/|access-date=4 April 2015|publisher=Channels Television}}</ref> The election marked the first time an incumbent president had lost re-election in Nigeria. In the [[2019 Nigerian general election|2019 presidential election]], Buhari was re-elected.<ref>{{cite web|last=AfricaNews|date=2019-02-27|title=Buhari beats Atiku to secure re-election as Nigeria president|url=https://www.africanews.com/2019/02/27/buhari-beats-atiku-to-secure-re-election-as-nigeria-president/|access-date=2020-07-05|website=Africanews}}</ref>

Four candidates vied for the presidency in the [[2023 Nigerian presidential election|2023 presidential election]]; for the first time since the return of democracy, no former military ruler ran for president, marking a strengthening of democracy and faith in the [[Constitution of Nigeria|multiparty constitution]]. The election also saw the rise of metonymic supporters of the new candidates, the [[Obidient Movement|Obidient movement]] of [[Peter Obi]], previously governor of Anambra State, widely appealed to young, urban voters and has his core base in the Southeast;<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lasisi |first=Olukayode Joshua |date=2022-09-29 |title=Peter Obi leads in new poll, Google search interest |url=https://businessday.ng/politics/article/peter-obi-leads-in-new-poll-google-search-interest/ |access-date=2022-10-05 |website=Businessday NG |language=en-US}}</ref> and the Kwankwassiya of [[Rabiu Kwankwaso]], former governor of [[Kano State]] in the Northwest.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Olurounbi |first1=Eromo Egbejule,Ruth |title=How Rabiu Kwankwaso became wildcard in Nigerian presidential race |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2023/2/1/kwankwaso-went-from-unpopular-governor-to-nigerian-presidential-wildcard |work=aljazeera.com |language=en}}</ref>[[File:Bola Tinubu portrait.jpg|thumb|Chief [[Bola Tinubu]] is currently serving as President of Nigeria since 29 May 2023.|upright]][[Bola Tinubu]], of the ruling party, won the disputed election with 36.61% of the vote,<ref>{{cite news |title=Nigeria presidential election results 2023 by the numbers |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/2/28/nigeria-presidential-election-results-2023 |work=aljazeera.com |language=en}}</ref> but both runner-ups claimed victory and litigation is ongoing in an election tribunal.<ref>{{cite news |title=Nigeria local elections open in shadow of contested national vote |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/18/nigeria-local-elections-open-in-shadow-of-contested-vote |work=www.aljazeera.com |language=en}}</ref> Bola Tinubu's [[Inauguration of Bola Tinubu|inauguration]] was held on 29 May 2023.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bola Tinubu sworn in as Nigeria's president, succeeds Buhari |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/5/29/tinubu-sworn-in-as-nigerias-president-succeeds-buhari |work=www.aljazeera.com |language=en}}</ref> Problems with widespread [[kidnapping in Nigeria]] continued.<ref>{{cite news |author=Emmanuel Akinwotu |date=January 16, 2024 |title=A kidnapping of six sisters and a murder has gripped Nigeria |url=https://devone.com.ng/2024/01/shocking-kidnapping-and-murder-of-six-sisters-grips-nigeria.html |work=DevOne Africa |publisher=[[NPR]]}}</ref>