Muhammadu Buhari is Nigeria’s new president.
Premium Times Nigeria reports Buhari won over his lead rival Atiku Abubakar with more than 67,000 votes and won 14 of 21 local governments.
Nigeria’s election also caused a wave of violence across the country.
Since the votes began on Saturday, almost 40 people were killed in conflicts with opposing groups, according to The New York Times.
Civilians and police were also held hostage, while some ballot boxes were burning.
CNN reports that almost $2 billion was put towards the election and more than 84 million people were cleared for voting.
Buhari, 76, faced more than 70 other individuals vying for the presidency. He is a former military figure who established himself in 2015 when Nigeria underwent a shift in power.
Abubakar, 72, was the country’s former vice president and businessman representing the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Across the campaign, Abubakar and his party vowed to “get Nigeria working again,” the BBC reports.
