2003 Nigerian presidential election

Background

Following the death of dictator Sani Abacha in 1998, general Abdulsalami Abubakar took over as president and ushered in a democratic transition in Nigeria. Presidential elections were soon held in May 1999, resulting in the election of Olusegun Obasanjo from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the establishment of the Fourth Nigerian Republic. Obasanjo had previously served as military head of state from 1976 to 1979, but later transferred power over to an elected leader. He had also been imprisoned in the mid-1990s for allegedly attempting to overthrow Abacha.

Obasanjo took office amid high expectations, with Nigerians hoping for improvements in human rights, political liberties, and accountable leadership which would address the country's issues. As Nigeria's first civilian president in 15 years, he sought to reduce poverty, combat corruption, reform the police and military, and establish a democratic government. During his presidency, Obasanjo managed to restore a moderate level of trust in government and reintegrated Nigeria into the international world. There were dramatic improvements in press and civic freedoms too, but public disillusionment grew due to scandals, legislative deadlock, and political infighting. The return of civilian rule also resulted in widespread corruption and patronage among political parties and the political class.

Results

By state

Maps

| File:Vote share of Olusegun Obasanjo in the 2003 Nigerian presidential election.svg | Vote share of Olusegun Obasanjo | File:Vote share of Muhammadu Buhari in the 2003 Nigerian presidential election.svg | Vote share of Muhammadu Buhari | File:Vote share of Emeka Ojukwu in the 2003 Nigerian presidential election.svg | Vote share of Emeka Ojukwu

Aftermath

Electoral fraud

On the late evening of 23 April 2003, Obasanjo was declared as the winner of the election by the INEC. However, just as election officials were preparing to announce the results, the leaders of two parties — including the ANPP chairman, Donald Etiebet — stormed the podium and seized the microphones. They announced that they wouldn't endorse the official results, with Etiebet declaring that the results "did not reflect the wishes of the people."

International observers, including the European Union, determined various irregularities in 11 of the 36 Federal States. Thus, in many cases votes were pre-filled or results were later amended. In some states those did not fulfil minimum standard for democratic elections.

Nearly all opposition parties refused to recognise the result. The electoral committee noted for example that in the city Warri in the Niger delta of 135,739 voters, 133,529 voted for the parliamentary election. Observers reported, however, that up to the Saturday afternoon no elections and only some polling stations had opened. Also, the counting time was very long compared with other countries pointed according to observers on possible electoral fraud.

References

Citations

Sources

References

1. Yusuf, Kabir. (2023-03-05). "ANALYSIS: Trend of low voter turnout continues in Nigerian elections". [[Premium Times]].
2. . (2003-04-10). ["Nigeria: First elections organised by civilians in two decades"](https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/analysis/2003/04/10/nigeria-first-elections-organised-civilians-two-decades). *[[IRIN News]]*.
3. . (2003-04-23). ["Obasanjo Re-Elected in Nigeria"](https://www.voanews.com/a/a-13-a-2003-04-23-44-obasanjo/393377.html). *[[Voice of America]]*.
4. . (2003-04-23). ["Obasanjo declared winner in vote marred by fraud"](https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news/2003/04/23/obasanjo-declared-winner-vote-marred-fraud). *[[IRIN News]]*.
5. Sengupta, Somini. (2003-04-23). "Nigerian President Declared Winner Amid Cries of Fraud". [[The New York Times]].
6. . (2003-05-27). ["Court clears way for Obasanjo's inauguration"](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2003/5/27/court-clears-way-for-obasanjos-inauguration). *[[Al Jazeera]]*.
7. . (2003-05-29). ["Olusegun Obasanjo sworn in for second term"](https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/report/44028/nigeria-olusegun-obasanjo-sworn-second-term). *[[IRIN News]]*.
8. . (2025-09-23). ["Olusegun Obasanjo {{!}} Biography, Age, & Facts {{!}} Britannica"](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Olusegun-Obasanjo).