LAGOS: Goodluck Jonathan's rise to the top of the pile in Nigeria's ruthless political world had been described as accidental -- a matter of good luck.
But the amazing run of coincidence and chance that brought the son of a canoe-maker to the presidential villa in the capital Abuja, has come to an end, with his electoral defeat at the hands of challenger Muhammadu Buhari.
The 57-year-old southern Christian -- the first head of state from the oil-producing Niger Delta -- was thrust into the presidency in 2010 following the death of his predecessor Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, a Muslim from the north.
The mild-mannered Jonathan, often seen with his trademark fedora traditionally worn by Niger Delta natives, is from a family of boat makers. He became a zoology lecturer and worked on environmental issues before entering politics in 1998.
"I personally call him the accidental president. It was chance, good luck," said Adewale Maja-Pearce, a Lagos-based writer and contributing columnist for the New York Times.
"He was plucked from obscurity because he was considered pliable."
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