Monitoring Desk
ABUJA: Vote counting is under way in the Nigeria’s closest presidential election since military rule ended in 1999, however final results may take days.
Tens of thousands of polling centres are counting the polling results, which will be compiled and sent to the election headquarters in the capital city, Abuja while the final result is not expected until at least Tuesday.
Turnout remained high, with many young, first-time voters reaching the polling stations before dawn to cast their votes, BBC News reported. The Saturday’s voting was marred by long delays at the polling stations, as well as scattered reports of attacks by the armed men and ballot box snatching.
Some political parties have raised concerns over the allegations of irregularities, which could end up in a disputed outcome. The presidential elections are the biggest democratic exercise in the African country, with 87 million people eligible to exercise their right to vote.
The country’s politics has been dominated by the two parties – the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) – since the restoration of multi-party democracy some 24 years ago. But this time, there was also a strong challenge from a third candidate in the contest to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari – the Labour Party’s Peter Obi, backed by many young people.
Nigeria decides: Election day as it happened
At a press briefing Saturday, Mahmood Yakubu, the electoral chief, apologised for the delays in voting, and added that everyone who is queueing up by 14:30 local time would be permitted to cast votes, even though polling centres were officially supposed to wind up by then.
Voters Lagos, the biggest city, cheered as election staff arrived at a polling centre in the suburb of Lekki around four hours after polls had officially closed, the BBC News reported. “As a Nigerian you expect any eventuality, so I came out with my power bank and a bottle of water. I will wait till they arrive so I can vote,” first-time voter Edith told the BBC News.
Reports of armed attacks at Nigerian polling stations
The election day remained largely peaceful, however, there have been reports from Lagos of violence and ballot boxes snatching. Some complained of being attacked, chased out of where they had gathered to cast their votes. In some other areas, people alleged being asked to either vote for a particular candidate for the president slot or leave the polling station.
Mr Yakubu said that the armed men had also attacked some polling points in the northern state of Katsina and southern state of Delta, where voter card verification machines were driven away. They were subsequently replaced and the security enhanced to allow voting to take place, he said further.
But voting was postponed until Sunday at 141 polling stations in Bayelsa, the oil-rich southern state because of disruptions. In the state of Borno in the north-eastern, Yakubu said, militant Islamists had opened fire on electoral staff from a mountain top in the Gwoza area, injuring a number of staff.
The lead-up to the elections was overshadowed by a cash shortage in the country caused by a botched attempt to redesign local currency, leading to a widespread chaos at cash machines and banks as desperate people sought money.
The new design currency notes were introduced in order to tackle vote-buying and inflation. On the eve of the presidential polls, a member of the House of Representatives was apprehended with almost $500,000 in cash besides a list of people he was supposed to distribute among, said the police.
Whoever wins in the election will have to deal with the currency redesign, high youth unemployment, a crumbling economy, and widespread insecurity which saw 10,000 killed in 2022. The voters also cast their votes for 360 members of the house of representatives and 109 federal senators with another election for state governors in this March. The presidential election has seen a huge interest from the young people as third of eligible voters are below 35.
Who is Peter Obi?
Obi (61) hoped to break up Nigeria’s two-party system after he joined the Labour Party in May 2022. Although he was in the Peoples Democratic Party before then, he is seen as a relatively fresh face and enjoys reasonable support among Nigeria’s youth, especially in the southern parts of the country.
The wealthy businessman has served as governor of the south-eastern Anambra State from 2006-2014. His supporters, known as the “OBIdients”, are of the view that he is the only candidate in the presidential elections with integrity, however, his critics believe that a vote for him is wasted as he is unlikely to win.
Who is Atiku Abubakar?
Instead, the Peoples Democratic Party, which ruled until 2015, wants the people to vote for Atiku Abubakar (76), the only major candidate from Nigeria’s mainly Muslim north. He run for the presidency five times before – all of which he lost. He has been dogged by accusations of cronyism and corruption, however, he denies the charges. He spent most of his career in the power corridors, having worked as a top civil servant, vice-president and a prominent businessman.
Who is Bola Tinubu?
Most people consider the polls a referendum on the All Progressives Congress, which has overseen a period of worsening insecurity and economic hardship. The APC candidate, Bola Tinubu (70) is credited with building the country’s commercial hub, Lagos, during his two terms as governor until 2007.
He is also known as a political godfather in the south-west where he wields significant influence, but like Abubakar, has also been criticised for allegations of corruption over the years which he denies.
A candidate needs to have the most votes and the 25 percent of ballots cast in two-thirds of Nigeria’s 36 states to be declared a winner. Otherwise, there will be a run-off within 21 days – a first in the country’s history.
