Presidential elections, 1999 to 2023
Presidential elections, 1999 to 2023
Seven elections since the Fourth Republic began. Five winners, two parties in power, one defeated incumbent. Figures below come from INEC official declarations and IFES Election Guide for turnout estimates.
Results, election by election
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| Year ▼ | Winner | Party | Winner votes | Winner % | Margin | Runner-up | Runner-up votes | Runner-up % | Turnout |
|---|
7
Elections
1999 to 2023
5
Winners
Obasanjo, Yar'Adua, Jonathan, Buhari, Tinubu
2
Parties in power
PDP 1999 to 2015 · APC 2015 to present
1
Incumbent defeated
Jonathan in 2015, the first in Nigerian history
36.6%
Lowest winning share
Tinubu, 2023
27%
Lowest turnout
2023 · down from 44% in 2015
Compare across elections
Bar chartTotal valid votes cast for the top three candidates in each presidential election.
Winner
Runner-up
Third
Vote share by election
Top three onlyPDP
APC
LP
ANPP
CPC
AD coalition
AC
ACN
Others
Candidates who kept running
PersistenceAtiku Abubakar
Presidential runs5
Wins0
Best finish2nd, 2019
2007
2011
2015
2019
2023
Muhammadu Buhari
Presidential runs4
Wins2
Best finish1st, 2015 & 2019
2003
2007
2011
2015
2019
Olusegun Obasanjo
Presidential runs2
Wins2
Best finish1st, 1999 & 2003
1999
2003
Goodluck Jonathan
Presidential runs2
Wins1
Best finish1st, 2011
2011
2015
Methodology
Vote counts and percentages are taken from INEC official declarations. Where INEC totals differ from secondary tabulations, INEC figures are used. Turnout is calculated against the registered voter base reported by INEC for the election year, cross-checked with IFES Election Guide.
Notes
2007 totals are widely disputed; figures shown reflect INEC's declared results. Party identifiers follow common editorial conventions and are not official colours. "Others" aggregates fourth-place and below.