Nigeria - Regional Democratic Dividends?

Nigeria’s Presidential elections which concluded on March 29th, are considered a milestone not only for that country but for the African continent as a whole. In a region where many governments and leaders have done their best to cling on to power, outgoing President Goodluck Jonathan’s graceful acceptance of defeat, is an exception to the rule. President-elect Muhammadu Buhari won on a promise to fight corruption and his All Progressives Congress party has since won the governorship elections in most of Nigeria’s states.

David Doepel, the Chair of the Africa Research Group at Australia’s Murdoch University, explains why these polls were one of Nigeria’s most orderly  and fair in recent memory, and what other developing countries like Malaysia, can learn from this watershed election.

This is a report by Jason Lim.