Our Nigerian presidential election series continues with the 2003 poll, which pitted the incumbent President Olusegun Obasanjo against other political party gladiators who had their eyes on his most prestigious seat.

With the country repeatedly failing to enjoy a sustained period of democracy, having had three previous republics cut abruptly by the military, many democratic enthusiasts and world leaders were hopeful that Nigeria’s fourth republic would pass its first major test – transiting from one four-year term to the next.

The fears of many across the world were assuaged when on April 14, 2003, elections were held, and by May 29, Obasanjo took a second oath-of-office as Nigeria’s democratically elected president. Although there were mixed reactions, with widespread reports of electoral malpractices during the election, a stable and extended democratic rule signposted a period of steady development for the nation. Over four years, Nigeria had shed-off its notorious image as a pariah state and its economy had been liberalized.

Obasanjo’s reelection saw him win by a landslide. The former military ruler garnered 24,456,140 votes, which was about 62% of the total votes cast, defeating his closest rival, Muhammadu Buhari by almost double the amount of ballots. The second runner up was former separatist leader, Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, who managed a meagre 3.3% of votes. None of the other 17 contenders could afford to muster even 0.5% of votes individually.

All three contestants, Obasanjo, Buhari and Ojukwu were highly recognized ex-military personnel who enjoyed strong support within their respective geopolitical regions. But with his power of incumbency, Obasanjo and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, easily made incursions into the North and the South-East, strongholds of Buhari and Ojukwu respectively. Unsurprisingly, while voting rigging was reported by election observers in literally all geopolitical zones, it was worse in the southern regions, with the ruling party allegedly resorting to violence by sponsoring thugs to confront stiffer opposition from other contending candidates and parties.

International Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported that “Both Nigeria's federal and state elections in 2003 and local government elections in 2004 were marred by serious incidents of violence, which left scores dead and many others injured. The scale of the violence and intimidation, much of which went unreported, called into question the credibility of these elections.”

Also, the US and the EU urged the Nigerian government to fully investigate complaints of widespread fraud and irregularities, while congratulating Obasanjo for the successful conduct of the election and for securing a second term.

Two terms for President Obasanjo meant eight years of democracy in Nigeria, the longest yet in its challenging and checkered history. In all its evident imperfections, it was still preferable to military dictatorship. Finally the democratic experience was no longer an experiment; it had taken full swing.

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