Buhari re-elected

In February 2019, President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) secured a second four-year term, defeating former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the People's Democratic Party (PDP). Buhari won with approximately 15.2 million votes compared to Atiku's 11.3 million, though the margin was narrower than his 2015 victory. The election was marked by delays, technical issues with card readers, and violence in several states that resulted in dozens of deaths.

Buhari's re-election campaign focused on his anti-corruption efforts and security improvements, particularly against Boko Haram in the northeast. However, his first term had been challenging, with Nigeria experiencing its worst recession since the 1980s, rising unemployment, and persistent insecurity including farmer-herder conflicts and kidnappings. Atiku campaigned on economic restructuring and promised to revive the economy through private sector engagement and constitutional reforms to devolve more powers to states.