People's Democratic Party (Nigeria) to five years in prison. The party is a moderate advocate of state-autonomy and religious freedom for the Nigerian provinces. In the year 2000 the introduction of Islamic law in some states in Northern Nigeria triggered sectarian violence in Kaduna and Abia states. The PDP-led federal government refused to bow to pressure from the southern, predominantly Christian states to repeal the law, and instead opted for a compromise where Islamic law would only apply to Muslims. In the 2015 elections, the incumbent president and PDP presidential nominee, Goodluck Jonathan, was defeated by General Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress
Prime Minister of Nigeria Prime Minister of Nigeria The Prime Minister of Nigeria was the head of government of Nigeria from 1960 to 1966. When Nigeria gained independence from the United Kingdom on 1 October 1960, it originally had a parliamentary constitutional monarchy with Queen Elizabeth II as the head of state. But in 1963, Nigeria ended its status as a Commonwealth Realm and became a republic. The head of state was the President, while the Prime Minister served as the head of government. In 1966, the office of prime minister was abolished (as the inaugural holder of the office, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa had