My colleague based in Nigeria is watching the presidential elections minute by minute using a variety of websites and social media. People are saying that this is an historic election because it’s the first time a candidate has successfully challenged an incumbent in an open, transparent election. Members of the Nigerian public are so keen to see the process succeed that they are monitoring and photographing the ballots and the counting and posting on social media and reporting infringements, this being the first time that they have ever had the ability to do so. For the first time there is not the usual glum acceptance that the election will be rigged beyond the control of the voting public; people actually believe that democracy will prevail, largely. As I type it looks as if Goodluck has lost to Buhari but some key southern pro-Goodluck states haven’t yet reported their results.

State Governor elections are on 11 April.