Opposition leader Muhammadu Buhari wins Nigerian presidential election

Opposition candidate Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday defeated President Goodluck Jonathan in Nigeria's general election, marking the first democratic transfer of power since the end of military rule 16 years ago.

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With most of the vote counted, Buhari had 15.4 million votes to 13.3 million for Jonathan, according to Reuters. Jonathan's Peoples Democratic Party has ruled Nigeria since 1999, but the rise of Boko Haram and surging inequality helped the 72-year-old Buhari, a former military leader, rise to victory in Africa's largest country.

"The people of Nigeria have taken over," Lai Mohammed, a spokesperson for Buhari's All Progressives Congress, said.