insurgency

Critics within the Naga insurgency also point to a violent legacy.

A violent separatist insurgency in the English-speaking west has been running for almost a decade, unemployment stands at 40% for the under-35s, roads and hospitals are crumbling, and freedom of speech has been limited.

A solid second place with 36% of the vote, is a solid performance for an upstart, but insurgencies remain insurgent by winning – and they were easily beaten.

The growing tensions have sparked fears of post-electoral violence in a country already rocked by a separatist conflict in the Anglophone regions and Boko Haram insurgency in the Far North region.

In the 15 years since the Islamist insurgency began in north-eastern Nigeria, thousands of people have died and millions have been forced from their homes.