Jonathan was on May 6, 2010, inaugurated as the President by the then Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu, following the death on May 5, 2010 of President Umaru Yar’Adua, who he served for three years as Vice President before his death.
The nation’s constitution recommends that the Vice President automatically takes over upon the death of the President.
After completing Yar’Adua’s tenure, Jonathan contested and won the 2011 presidential election but lost his re-election bid in the 2015 election.