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Difficulty: EasyFourth Republic and Democratic Governance from 1999

Arrange the following political and electoral events of Nigeria's Fourth Republic in chronological order from earliest to most recent:

  1. 1The handover of power from a military regime to an elected civilian president, inaugurating the Fourth Republic.
  2. 2The first democratic transition of power from one elected civilian president to another.
  3. 3The first defeat of an incumbent president by an opposition candidate in a general election.

Answer

The correct chronological sequence is: first, the 1999 handover from military rule to civilian government; second, the 2007 civilian-to-civilian executive transition; third, the 2015 electoral victory of an opposition candidate over an incumbent president.
The correct chronological order places the return to democratic governance in May 1999 first, followed by the first civilian-to-civilian transition of power in May 2007, and concludes with the historic defeat of an incumbent president by an opposition candidate in 2015.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine the date of the military-to-civilian handover that launched the Fourth Republic.
Nigeria returned to democratic governance on May 29, 1999, marking the inauguration of the Fourth Republic.
The Fourth Republic formally began with the swearing-in of an elected civilian administration in 1999.
2
Identify the milestone date of the first civilian-to-civilian presidential handover.
In May 2007, President Olusegun Obasanjo completed his second term and handed over power to President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua.
This was the first time in Nigeria's political history that an elected civilian leader successfully handed executive power to another elected civilian.
3
Identify the year of the opposition party winning the presidency against an incumbent.
In March 2015, opposition candidate Muhammadu Buhari defeated incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan.
This landmark event occurred eight years after the 2007 democratic handover, representing the first peaceful party turnover of the presidency in the Fourth Republic.

Key Concept

Key democratic milestones and chronological progression of Nigeria's Fourth Republic from 1999
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Fourth Republic and Democratic Governance from 1999