SUMMARY
The Nigerian federal government was headed by General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida from 1985 to 1993. Babangida came to power in 1985, when he ousted military head of state Muhammadu Buhari in a bloodless coup. Babangida banned political parties until 1989. Despite his promise to return to civilian rule, he declared the results of the 1993 presidential elections as invalid causing massive popular uproar. Babangida nevertheless resigned the same year and was succeeded by a transitional government that transferred power to a military government headed by General Sani Abacha as president. Abacha unexpectedly died in June 1998. After a short transitional period Nigeria came under civilian rule with the 1999 election of former General Olusegun Obasanjo. Obasanjo was re-elected in 2003 and resigned in 2007 after an unsuccessful attempt to change the constitution that provided for the limitation of consecutive presidential terms to two. Despite Nigeria’s return to civilian rule, the former military establishment remained highly influential.
In particular in situations of political turmoil and riots, the Nigerian authorities deployed the paramilitary arm of the Nigeria police, MOPOL (Mobile Police). From 2000 to 2002, the local governments, in particular in south-eastern States of Nigeria, also hired the Bakassi Boys, a vigilante group, in order to curb crimes and to enforce government control. The Bakassi Boys have later periodically been used as security guards, including by government officials.
In an historic event, the election of 2007 saw Umaru Musa Yar'Adua assume the presidency through a peaceful transition of power, the first between two civilians in Nigerian history. In February 2010, due to prolonged health issues, the National Assembly voted to temporarily transfer executive power to his vice president, Goodluck Jonathan. Following Yar'Adua's death in May, Acting President Jonathan was sworn in as president. Goodluck Jonathan was later re-elected in 2011, but lost the election of 2015 to former military head of state Muhammadu Buhari. Buhari was re-elected in 2019.
The government of Nigeria has been involved in the interstate, intrastate and one-sided categories of UCDP organised violence.
