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Nigerian opposition leader Muhammadu Buhari claimed a historic victory Tuesday, defeating President Goodluck Jonathan in the countrys first democratic ouster of a sitting leader.

With just one of 36 states left to deliver results, Buhari had 15.1 million votes to Jonathans 11.7 million, according to an unofficial tally by the Reuters news agency. Jonathan called Buhari to concede late Tuesday afternoon.

"At about 5 minutes to 5, President Jonathan called General Muhammadu Buhari, the winner of the elections, to congratulate him," opposition All Progressive Congress spokesman Lai Mohammed said.

Mohammed called Jonathans action heroic and said it would dramatically reduce tension in one of the most bitterly contested elections in Nigerian history, according to Reuters.

"There had always been this fear that he might not want to concede, but he will remain a hero for this move. The tension will go down dramatically. Anyone who tries to foment trouble on the account that they have lost the election will be doing so purely on his own," Mohammed said.

The governing Peoples Democratic Party had questioned the results of Saturdays election in at least seven states, but ultimately conceded. Buharis All Progressives Congress had unsuccessfully called for the cancellation of results in southeastern Rivers state, at the heart of Nigerias crucial oil sector, after incidents of what it complained were intimidation and violence.

The opposition APC sent mass text messages to its supporters, urging them to remain indoors and celebrate with their families, warning that the PDP had hired thugs to shoot and bomb those celebrating.

Those warnings were joyously ignored in Kano, the country's second largest city, which is in Buhari's heartland in the countrys north.

Cars raced at top speed with horns blaring, swooping from one side of the road to the other, with people almost spilling from windows, waving the opposition symbol, straw brooms and opposition flags. The air was filled with the smell of burning rubber as motorcycles did crazy skids. Some motorcycle riders drifted along hands free, their arms out by their sides.

People walked around with cellphones glued to their ears, listening as the final results trickled in. Mustafa Mohammed, 25, a student, shared dual headphone wires with a friend as he listened to the news on a smartphone.

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Muhammadu Buhari claims historic win in Nigeria presidential election