Nigeria. Muhammadu Buhari (Muslim), a 72-year-old former general who led a military junta in the 1980s, defeats outgoing Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan (Christian). This is a momentous event for Nigeria: for the first time in its history, since independence from Great Britain in 1960, the opposition defeats the ruling party. For the first time, a government hands over to a new administration without a coup.
