The Nigerian presidential elections has been won by the opposition party for the first time in the country's history. General Muhammadu Buhari beat incumbent president Goodluck Jonathan by 2.1million votes in a historic win which has seen thousands take to the streets in celebration. Jonathan  conceded this afternoon and called 72-year-old General Buhari to congratulate him, Aviation Minister Osita Chidoka said. Scroll down for video . Bad luck, Jonathan: General Muhammadu Buhari, 72, (right) beat incumbent president Goodluck Jonathan(left) by 2.1million in a historical opposition win . Jonathan's concession came before the final announcement of election results by the Independent National Electoral Commission and as Buhari prepared to address the nation. After the votes from the country's 36 states and small Federal Capital Territory were in this evening, Buhari was found to have won with 15.4 million votes against Jonathan's 13.3 million. The win marks the first time in Nigeria's history that an opposition party has democratically taken control of the country from the ruling party. General Buhari, who has previously made three failed attempts to win the presidency, ruled Nigeria from  1984 until mid-1985, after a seizing power in a military coup. His brief dictatorship saw him rule the nation with an iron fist, jailing people for trivial missteps such as public littering, and punishing civil servants who arrived late to work with gruelling physical exercises. Buhari was eventually was overthrown by his own soldiers after attempting to cover up Nigeria's deepening economic crisis, by silencing the press and jailing journalists. Supporters: Residents celebrate the anticipated victory of Buhari  in Kaduna, northern Nigeria . Big win: General Buhari has enjoyed most support in the mainly Muslim north, but also won several key-states in the Christian southern states . Incumbent president Goodluck Jonathan, seen voting in his home town at Ward 13 in Otuoke, Bayelsa state, on Saturday, has reportedly called General Buhari to congratulate him on his win . Buhari's fourth, and successful, bid for presidency was made possible by the  formation of a coalition of Nigeria's major opposition parties two years ago, the All Progressives Congress (APC). A united opposition and its choice of Buhari as a single candidate presented the first real opportunity in the history of Nigeria to oust a sitting president. Buhari has also been able to count on considerable voter dissatisfaction with the performance of Goodluck Jonathan, who has been president since 2010, and his failure to take proper action against Boko Haram. In Kano state, where Boko Haram's guerilla war on the civilian population has been most prominent, Buhari delivered a crushing defeat to Jonathan, winning 1.9 million votes for Jonathan's 215,800. This came despite Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau vowing to disrupt the election, which the group sees as 'un-Islamic', prompting unprecedented security measures at polling stations. Buhari has promised to stamp out the insurgency in the north, which has seen the Islamist group murder tens of thousands of civilians, kidnap hundreds of young girls and force more than 1.5 million people from their homes. When Buhari's win was announced, spontaneous celebrations sprang up in Kano, the nation's second city, and Kaduna in Kano state. Many brandished the wicker broom, symbol of Buhari's APC coalition, which claims it will sweep Africa's most populous country clean years of government mismanagement and corruption. Crowds were heard chanting 'change, change' as hundreds of people climbed onto rooftops to watch the celebrations. Drivers performed stunts, filling the air with thick smoke, as veiled women and the crowds shouted 'Sai Buhari' (Only Buhari) in celebration. Nigerian men watch as the election commission announces electoral results for certain states, on a television at an outdoor butchery in Kano, northern Nigeria . Nigerian men look at the morning newspapers and discuss the partial election results released, at a newspaper stand in Kano, northern Nigeria . While the topic of the government's response to militant group Boko Haram has been a significant electoral topic, provision of basic services such as electricity and water remains an important election issue . Residents watch the vote count on a television set in Kaduna,  Nigeria Tuesday . 'We must see this as a triumphant show of democracy, a change for the better,' Buhari's wife Aisha Buhari said in one of a series of jubilant Twitter messages. Earlier today a U.S. official said said The United States is ready to work with anyone democratically elected as Nigeria's president. 'I would reiterate that the U.S. is ready to work with . whichever candidate the Nigerian people elect through the . democratic process,' the U.S. State Department official said. 'Buhari has peacefully contested the last few presidential . elections and accepted the results of those votes, even when he . questioned the credibility of the process,' the U.S. official . said. The official said Buhari's leadership of the opposition . suggests a commitment to democracy as part of a new era in . Nigeria that began after military rule ended in 1999. Buhari's APC declared Buhari's victory over Jonathan's People's Democratic Party (PDP) this afternoon, but the incumbent president has yet to make any official comments on the election result. Earlier today, an APC spokesperson said Buhari fears his victory could be stolen by 'tricks' from the government. 'As for the election, we have won it!' Garba Shehu said outside the APC headquarters. Accusing Goodluck Jonathan's government of possibly meddling with the election results, he added: 'We are not out of the woods yet, we don't know what tricks the government is going to play.' Because of decades of military dictatorship, this is only the eighth election since the country won independence from Britain in 1960, and the fifth since democracy was restored in 1999.
Muhammadu Buhari has won the Nigerian presidential elections . Beat incumbent president Goodluck Jonathan by 2.1million votes . First time the opposition has won a democratic presidential vote . This is 72-year-old General Buhari's fourth run at the presidency . Buhari previously ruled Nigeria in 1984-1985, after a military coup . His strict ruling eventually saw him ousted by his own soldiers .