10 African Presidents Who Have Died in Office in the Last 10 Years

Umaru Musa Yar’adua, Nigeria

Umaru Musa Yar’adua of Nigeria had a well-documented history of health-related complications, but that did not stop the political pendulum from swinging in his direction ahead of the 2007 Nigerian presidential elections.

Political insiders say he was a reluctant to run for the presidency. Before he was co-opted by aggressive power brokers, the discreet Yar’adua was looking forward to a quiet retirement after completing a consecutive four-year term as governor of one of Nigeria’s north western states.

Despite an election campaign that was punctuated by the absence of the candidate on the campaign trail and reports of a near fatal health crises, Yar’adua won the April 2007 presidential polls with 70 percent of the vote. Yar’adua’s frail health took a turn for the worst after his election and he never really settled into office. He died aged at the age of 58 on May 5th, 2011, at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa Abuja, barely three years into his four-year tenure.