Nigeria election 2023: Votes are being counted, but final results could take several days.

 

Vote counting is currently underway in Nigeria's tightest presidential election since the end of military rule in 1999. The voting process was marred by long delays due to logistical problems and security incidents, causing some polling stations to open late. Despite this, turnout appeared to be high, with many young, first-time voters arriving before dawn to cast their ballots.

 

The election is the largest democratic exercise in Africa, with 87 million people eligible to vote. Nigerian politics has been dominated by two parties, the ruling APC and the PDP, for the past 24 years. However, this time, there is a strong challenge from a third-party candidate in the race to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari. The Labour Party's Peter Obi is backed by many young people.

 

Tens of thousands of polling stations are counting votes, which will be compiled and sent to the electoral headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria's capital. The final outcome will not be known until at least Tuesday.

 

At a press briefing, the electoral chief, Mahmood Yakubu, apologised for the delays in voting, but he assured voters that anyone who was in a queue by 13:30 GMT (14:30 Local time) would be allowed to vote, despite the fact that polling stations were supposed to close at that time.

 

Despite the delays, many voters remained patient and committed to exercising their democratic rights. However, there were also reports of violence and ballot boxes being snatched in Lagos. In the southern state of Delta and the northern state of Katsina, armed men attacked some polling units, and voter card verification machines were carted away. Security was subsequently boosted to allow voting to take place.

 

In the oil-rich southern state of Bayelsa, voting was postponed to Sunday at 141 polling stations due to disruptions. Meanwhile, in the northeastern state of Borno, militant Islamists opened fire on electoral officers from a mountain top in the Gwoza area, injuring a number of officials.

 

The election is a significant moment for Nigeria and will have far-reaching consequences for the country's political future. It remains to be seen who will emerge as the winner of this closely contested presidential race.

 

 

Nigeria's presidential election has been marred by logistical problems and security incidents, but despite the setbacks, a high turnout was recorded, with many young, first-time voters arriving before dawn to cast their ballots. The country's biggest democratic exercise saw 87 million people eligible to vote, with tens of thousands of polling stations counting the results. The run-up to the elections was overshadowed by a cash shortage caused by a botched attempt to redesign the currency, which caused widespread confusion at banks and cash machines. The new notes were introduced to combat inflation as well as vote-buying.  On the eve of the election, a member of the House of Representatives was arrested with almost $500,000 (£419,000) in cash, and a list of people he was supposed to give it to, police say.

 

The election has been a three-horse race, with the incumbent party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), facing a strong challenge from the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and a third-party candidate, Peter Obi of the Labour Party. The PDP has been campaigning for Atiku Abubakar, the only major candidate from the country's mainly Muslim north. He has run for the presidency five times before - all of which he has lost - and has been dogged by accusations of corruption and cronyism, which he denies.

 

The APC's candidate is Bola Tinubu, who is credited with building Nigeria's commercial hub Lagos during his two terms as governor until 2007. However, he has also been dogged by allegations of corruption over the years and poor health, both of which he denies. Meanwhile, Obi is hoping to break up Nigeria's two-party system after joining the Labour Party last May. Despite his previous membership in the PDP, he is seen as a relatively new face among some sections of Nigeria's youth, particularly in the south.

 

Whoever wins the presidential election will have to deal with the currency redesign, a crumbling economy, high youth unemployment, and widespread insecurity which saw 10,000 killed last year. Voters also cast ballots for 109 federal senators and 360 members of the House of Representatives, with another vote for state governors in March. A candidate needs to have the most votes and 25% of ballots cast in two-thirds of Nigeria's 36 states to be declared the winner. Otherwise, a run-off election will be held within 21 days, a first in Nigerian history. The final outcome will not be known until at least Tuesday.