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| Late Pres. Umar Yar'Adua (courtesy of AFP) |
He passed away in Abuja at the presidential villa between 2000 GMT and 2100 GMT (9-10pm local time), the two state-approved national television networks, Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and African Independent Television (AIT) reported early hours of today (Thursday).
NTA interrupted its normal programming to announce the news.
The announcer said: "The president and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Umar Musa Yar'Adua, died a few hours ago at the presidential villa.
"Security aides notified the national security adviser, General Aliyu Gusau, who immediately called the acting president. The late president has been ill for some time."
Also, reports monitored on the BBC website indicate that a presidential aide and the information minister has confirmed this development.
Yar'Adua, who became president in 2007, had been ill for some time, and had not been seen in public for months.
Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan was accepted as acting president in February.
Heart condition and travel to Saudi Arabia
Although it was known that Mr Yar'Adua had been battling a heart condition - acute uraemic pericarditis; the true state of his health was deliberately kept from the public and unnecessarily politized by those who ought to have been taking care of him.
In November, Mr Yar'Adua went to a hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for several months, during which time he was not heard from, apart from a BBC interview.
He told the BBC by telephone in January that he was recovering and hoped with "tremendous progress" to resume his duties.
A presidential spokesman said at the time that he was being treated for acute pericarditis, an inflammation of the lining around the heart.
His long absence and the lack of detailed information about his health led to a political limbo in Nigeria that was only filled when Mr Jonathan was named acting president.
Mr Yar'Adua returned to Nigeria later in February.
He was recently reported to be making some progress as judged by his carers, so his death comes as a surprise.
Previous rumors of death
Unconfirmed rumors of his death has been rife since early this year, following the largely rash theatrical shoddy and hush-hush manner in which his illness was handled by close family contacts and associates.
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| Mrs Turai Yar'Adua |
The acting President and members of the legislature were still unable to see him up until his death yesterday.
After Yar'Adua's death
Although Mr Yar'Adua returned to the country in February, Goodluck Jonathan has continued to be acting president.
He will today be sworn in as president, according to Nigeria's constitution.
Section 146 (1) of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution stipulates that "the Vice-President shall hold the office of President if the office of President becomes vacant by reason of death or resignation, impeachment, permanent incapacity or the removal of the President from office for any other reason..."
There had been tension between the two men's supporters and in March Mr Jonathan dissolved the federal executive cabinet.
Elections are scheduled for next year.
What Nigerians would remember him most for
Mr Yar'Adua was Nigeria's first university graduate president.
His election in 2007 marked the first transfer of power from one civilian president to another since Nigeria's independence in 1960.
He came to power promising a long list of reforms, including tackling corruption and reforming the inadequate power sector and the flawed electoral system.
But the area in which analysts say he made the most progress was in tackling the unrest in the oil-rich Niger Delta, by offering an amnesty to rebels.
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