Why Nigeria's Rejection of Goodluck Jonathan Is a Lesson For Africa

-Editorial-

PARIS — During the nail-biting four days of an election that many warned would be too close to call, Nigeria was in a collective state of high anxiety. Then, in a twist for Africa's most populous nation, a presidential election that had threatened to end in a bloodbath instead concluded peacefully with the incumbent president defeated.

The man who has been leading the country since 2010, Goodluck Jonathan, conceded defeat and congratulated his rival, Muhammadu Buhari. "I have promised this country free and fair elections," he said. "I have kept my word. Nobody's ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian." Never before in the country's history had a head of state accepted a change in power.

Nobody really knows yet what Buhari's presidency will mean for Nigeria, a country where political life has rarely been violence-free. But what prevailed after the result was announced was a series of joyful demonstrations triggered by Jonathan's "heroic" defeat and the collective hope that it would represent a turning point.

Jonathan in a way contributed to his own loss by reinforcing the powers of the Independent National Electoral Commission, thus guaranteeing that the electoral process would follow a proper course until the end. 

Former President Goodluck Jonathan voting on March 28 — Photo: NAN/Xinhua/ZUMA

The president has lost, but Nigeria has won. The result is a signal that Nigerians are finally determined to see their elected representatives answer for their actions. With their votes, they punished waste, unemployment, inequalities, dilapidated universities, and the inability to fight against terror group Boko...